Another Prison Another Town
by Nina Falkestav
Summary: Ryan O´reily has been transferred to another prison and is having slight diffculties settling in...I'm currently rewriting some bits and trying to work on the spelling and grammar, so there will be some changes.
1. Another Prison Another Town part 1

Title: Another prison another town or Out of Oz, into Kansas Series: Oz

Author: Nina F.

E-mail address: PG-13 for swearing.

Feedback: Would love it! Can be done at my mail, or to list-mail if allowed. But please be gentle, this is my first fic.

Pairing: none

Archive: Would love it, but please let me know first )

Disclaimers: Some of these characters are the property of Tom Fontana and his people, others belong to Javier Gillo- Marxuach and his people, some are completely my own. What they have in common? I use them all for my evil purposes moahahahaha!

(Sorry folks, getting side-tracked, what I mean is I'm just having fun!)

Warnings: A bit of swearing, and a bit dark, Later chapters will include stuff such as physical violence and punishment.

Summary: Ryan O´reily has just been moved to a new prison, and is having slight difficulties settling in.

Lots of thanks and hugs to: My two beta-girls Zyre and Ahavia, Katta for finding Zyre for me, Athelda for inspiration, the Dean Winters group, Coolestchick 8000 and the Ryan O´reily fanfic group for support and help with facts. And Tom Fontana, Dean Winters, Javier Gillo- Marxuach and Edward Atterton without whom I would have to waste my spare-time on other seemingly far more important things, and would actually be getting some sleep at night.

Another prison another town or out of Oz, into Kansas. (Part 1?) -"Getting to know you."

As the bus pulled up to the grey, drab, concrete building, O´ Reily sighed, heavily.

So here they were again, another prison, another town.

He hated it; of course he hated it. But at least by this move, he might gain his possibility of parole back, or at least Mc Manus had told him so.

But there was much to loose as well...

Not that he had been given a choice about leaving Oz. The last time he had been called into the office of the new warden, he had been give the choice of spending the rest of the year ( this being January the 4) in the hole, NOT an alluring prospect, or moving to another prison.

Besides, he would do fine here.

I ALWAYS wind up on top, he thought, one way or the other. Still you have to careful...

While he was thinking this, the hack had requested permission to drive the bus into the yard, and been granted.

The yard was equally as dark and depressing as the building and so was the weather.

He hated these little towns, this one being in the middle of nowhere, Kansas, or so he was told.

How would he know? He had read the signs along the road, but had been overcome by the feeling of seeing the outside, and had started to look at the landscape, forgetting the road. Sure if he was going to run, it would come in handy knowing where this place actually was, until then, who cared.

The bus had stopped, and the chains around his hands and feet were being loosened from the iron bar running along the floor of the bus.

Finally, he could move around some!

The hack told him to go up in the front of the bus, and he did as he was told. Another hack was standing outside the front door of the bus, ready do lay his disgusting hands on Ryan, to stop him from going anywhere they didn't want him to.

Ryan stepped out, and the second hack took him by the arm in a harsh grip. Ryan wrenched loose, thinking that if he was going in to a prison again he would do it with at least some sense of pride. The hack griped him tightly by the back of his neck instead, forcing him to bow his head forward, looking onto the ground, and drove him forward to, and in through the front door.

So much for entering with pride.

Ryan was furious, but managed to keep still, anger boiling underneath the surface of his now very sullen face.

"So you're the new one? Ryan O´Reily?" said the prison officer who had greeted them in the door, Looking Ryan up and down.

"So, what if I am!" He answered, looking as cocky as he possible could, which made for quite an impressing expressiveness.

" I hear you're a bit mouthy," the officer said. "Never mind, that's something I think we'll be able to fix".

"Good luck," Ryan snorted.

The guard from the bus loosened his grip, but since the new guard took a new and tighter grip in the same place, Ryan wasn't much helped by it. He found himself very humiliatingly being steered past some guards and inmates into a small room next to the shower area.

He already hated the place intensely, and he had a feeling it would get worse.

It did.

He was told to strip, in front of four hacks, with snooping eyes.

Then they ordered him to spread his legs, put his arms out from his sides, palms towards the floor, open his mouth and lift his tongue up. He knew it was all part of the routine, and simply felt too tired to put up a fight, so he did what he was told. He made sure though, not to let the expression on his face go. They might as well know who he was and how he felt about being treated this way. They checked his mouth for drugs or other things, and felt all over his body, their sweaty hands exploring.

"Underwear too," one of the hacks said.

"What!" Ryan replied.

"Take of your briefs," the guard said.

"Why?" said Ryan, "I ain't got nothing on me".

"Just do it," the guard said.

"No," Ryan replied.

"What!" The guard barked.

"I won't do it," Ryan said, standing his ground, figuring this would be the first test of his new 'home'.

"All right", the guard said and signaled the other guards, who had all backed of a bit. They positioned themselves around him, on his left, right and behind him. Ryan, who could sense what might happen, started to conjure up some strength.

"In that case we'll do it for you" the hack issued.

The other guards quickly grabbed hold of him at all angles, moving him, struggling for his life and pride, to a table a few feet ahead.

They forced him to bend down over it, clasping his head, hands, legs and back in a forceful grip. They then pulled down his briefs and made him step out of them. Ryan could see some of the inmates looking in through the windows of the 'stripping room', laughing, and there was no end to the humiliation he felt!

"You see, 'mister O´reily'," the hack said, standing so that O´reily could see only him, while the others were still holding on to O´reily.

"In here we take a serious approach to disobedience, and although it is not in my place to punish you without orders from one of my superiors, I can still do my best to make your life a hell."

He was now smiling.

He stepped out of O´reily´s view, and went up behind him.

Oreily heard the sound of a rubber glove being pulled onto something, and then felt the pain.

It wasn't very painful, but bad enough to make him writhe his face as the guard stuck part of his hand in there. But the worst thing was still the humiliation; they hadn't closed the curtains on the windows out to the other room, and so the whole thing was watched by 10 or 15 very amused inmates.

The guard grouped and prodded and felt inside him for a long time. To Ryan it felt like at least an hour.

When he was finally let up, after the guard had given him a not too hard but still rather sharp smack on his bum, Ryan could see that the whole thing had taken just over 15 minutes, from the time he had been seized and there after.

Still they where some of the most awful minutes of his life!

He tried to keep his dignity about him (what little he still had,) and put on a proud face as he straightened up after being let loose.

His bottom still stung as he was lead, still by the neck, into the showers.

"Ten minutes," the guard said. "That's what you've got. Enjoy them. It might be the last time for quite a while you get to wash in hot water, and it's most certainly the last time for a while you do it alone. Scrub down with this."

O´reily was given a pack with something runny in it, rather like the shampoo or shower gel you received in hotels only a bit larger in size, and a sponge that mostly reminded him of the sharp side of a scotch brite.

" Oh, and, O´reily, don't forget to wash your mouth out with the soap, and dry yourself behind the ears, you're gonna need it," the guard said with a smile.

He then turned to one of the other guards, said "Watch this one, closely." And left.

As he turned on the water, O´reily felt that he could finally for the first time that day, relax a bit.

Still, he was disturbingly aware of being eyed carefully by the hacks.

As he opened the little container he had been given, a sharp smell, like that of some detergent, hit him.

He turned the package over and read 'for delousing', on it.

So that's what they think of prisoners here. Oh well, I might as well oblige them as much as I can, he thought.

He poured some of the fluid into his hand and moved it over his body.

"Use the sponge," he heard someone say, and as he turned around he saw that it had been one of the hacks.

"I think I'm fine the way things are, thank you," Ryan replied, with sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh I'm sure you are" said the guard. "But the prison regulations state that upon arrival the intern will scrub down with the provided sponge."

"Fine," Ryan said, pouring some more of the foul-smelling fluid onto the sponge, carefully letting it slip over his body, so as to not scratch himself.

"Oh come on, you can do better than that," the guard said, stepping forward, and griping his arm. "Lets help him, shall we boys?"

One of the other guards stepped up behind him and held him in a tight grip. Ryan was just ready to put up some resistance when he heard a voice from the doorway, leading out to the locker room.

"I think he's got the point Johnson. Let him do it himself."

Standing there was a rather old and corpulent man, but with a great shine of power to him.

"Yes, sir," said the hack with his hand around Ryan's arm, and he and the other guard that had been standing behind Ryan backed off.

"Now, son," the guard said. "You can scrub yourself clean can't you?"

"Yeah, of course I can!" Ryan said with as much attitude as he could.

"That's 'yes sir' to you, boy," the hack said. "And you do it properly this time, right !" The guard voice was stern and demanding.

Ryan wouldn't answer.

"All right, get to it!" the hack shouted. "And do a good job! You won't get out of here until your skin is as red as a crayfish!" Ryan started rubbing the sponge round his skin again, carefully.

"He's right," the hack said. "You really can't do it, can you?" voice filled with irony.

He quickly took the sponge from Ryan, adding another grip around his neck, turning him round. He then started scrubbing him, HARD!

"OUCH! YOU FUCKING CUNT!" Ryan yelled

" That won't help much, I've heard worse before," the guard said in a joyful tone, and continued to scrub Ryan, who did his best to turn out of the mans grip, but the man was too strong.

"See, this is the way it's supposed to be done. Now that I've shown you, do you think you can do it yourself!" the guard issued sharply.

" Yeah" Ryan said in a half-tormented, low tone of voice.

"What was that?" the hack asked. "You can do it you self, did you say?"

"Yes," Ryan stated again.

"Louder!" the hack barked at him

"YES, I CAN DO IT MYSELF! " Ryan yelled, twisting and turning in the grip of the guard.

"AND YOU´LL DO IT PROPERLY!" the man yelled.

Ryan didn't answer.

"WELL! WILL YOU!" the guard yelled as he stopped scrubbing for a moment, turned Ryan around and stared him in the face.

"Yes, I'll do it 'properly'," Ryan said in an angered, sarcastic voice, his eyes narrowing.

He knew he was overpowered, and had to admit it now, no matter how much it hurt his pride, and it reallydid!

"Very well," the guard said, letting go of Ryan and giving him the sponge. "Now, as I said, do it properly, or else!"

Ryan started scrubbing, slightly harder than before, just for show, but not so much that it hurt him.

"Harder," the guard said.

Ryan put the sponge down a bit harder on his skin, and felt how it started to sting a bit.

"HARDER!" the guard yelled, and Ryan was yet again forced to put the sponge down even harder on his skin as he moved the sponge, turning the skin red.

The water was cold by now.

When he was finally let out of the shower, Ryan's skin was indeed as red as a crayfish.

It had a sharp burning feeling to it, but since the water in the shower had been freezing for most of the time, so was Ryan.

He wanted nothing else now but to be "home" in Oz, even if it did mean spending eternity in the hole!

He was lead out, in the usual fashion, by his neck, and still completely naked, from the showers and out into the corridor.

The older guard then lead him a few yards down the same corridor, stopped him in front of a door and yelled: "Open up number 37!"

A signal issued and the hack jerked the door open.

He pushed Ryan through the door, and then entered, himself, closing the door behind him.

"Welcome home, Mister O´reily." He said. " You'll find the clothes issued for you in the paper bag, on your bed.

Ryan looked over by the bed, and sure enough there was a big paper bag on it.

"In the bag," the guard continued, " you'll find 10 pair of underwear, 5 long-sleeved shirts, 5 T- shirts, 5 pairs of trousers, 3 sets of pyjamas, 10 pair of socks and one pair of indoor slippers. That's your 'starting set'. If you do well in here, you can ask for a bathrobe and a thick sweater. If you are allowed at some point to go outside, you'll be issued a pair of outdoor shoes. At no point will you wear clothes other than those issued to you, unless you have been given permission to do so." The guard said sternly.

"We expect you to have unpacked the bag by tomorrow morning, and that you will have put each garment on it's place in the locker." He pointed to one of the corners of the cell. "You'll find markings in the locker where as to put everything."

Ryan sighed. All this nagging, and his skin burning and the cold just made him want to go to sleep and never wake up again!

"I suggest you put on your pyjamas at this point, since all the others have already been locked in their cells. There is a basin with water over there." The hack pointed to an old basin made of enamel, the kind they had before they invented ways to have running water. Besides it was a pitcher containing some water. " Besides the basin, you'll find your toothbrush and toothpaste." The guard said.

"I usually don't wear anything at night," Ryan said, using his last powers in a final protest.

"Well, that's your problem!" the hack yelled. "In here you will wear a pair of pyjamas, and that is final! Get cracking!"

Ryan almost jumped at the sound of the hack's voice.

He got dressed under the watchful eyes of the guard.

When he was fully dressed, and had brushed his teeth, the guard said: "Since you showed such disobedience while we where booking you, we don't feel we can trust you."

Damn right You can't, Ryan thought.

"Therefore, we decided that you should be wearing shackles and cuffs during the night as well. Please step forward so I can put them on!"

Ryan was too tired to argue. He just wanted to sleep; to forget this place for at least a few hours.

And so he drew a huge sigh, stepped forwards and held out his arms as the guard shackled his feet and cuffed his hands.

"Very well," the guard issued. " Light's out in five minutes, good night!"

Ryan said nothing, but sat down on his bed as the guard stepped out and slammed the door shut. He unmade his bed with some difficulty due to the cuffs. Laid down in it, not being able to lie comfortably, due to the cuffs and shackles just as much as to the stinging, burning feeling in his skin, all over his body. He pulled the smelly quilt over his head, and for the first time in a long while, cried.

The lights went out.

He heard the sharp buzz of the door and someone jerking it open. Fuck! Is that the time already?

Come to think of it, he didn't know what that time would be. He hadn't been told when they'd be let out in the mornings.

Whilst he was thinking this, the guard had opened the door and entered.

"Oh my!" The guard said.

Ryan recognised the sound of the old, cruel hack's voice and his heart sank.

Not that bloody cock sucker again!

"Well I knew I should have expected something like this from you!"

Ryan opened his eyes and tried to rub the sleep out of them, to see what the man was making such a bloody fuss about.

He forced himself to sit up, looking at himself and the room.

It wasn't so much Ryan's half naked body, (he had apparently got warm in his sleep and tried to take off the pyjamas that the hack had forced him to wear. He had no blanket on either.) As the state of the rest of the room that had, quite justly, Ryan was forced to admit, caused the guards dismay.

In his eagerness to get to sleep last night, Ryan had not only forgotten to lay all his newly issued clothes in the closet, as the guard had ordered him. He had forgotten to take the open paper bag from the end of his bed before going to bed.

His tossing and turning during the course of the night had caused the bag to fall onto the floor, letting all the socks, underwear and things in it roll or fall out of it, and onto the floor.

Furthermore the bedspread and blanket that used to be on the bed, had been thrown off and had landed in two separate heaps by the bed. In short, the place looked like world war three.

Ryan laid down again.

"SIT UP!" the hack brawled on top of his lungs.

Ryan sat up like he was told and pulled his trousers that were hanging by his feet, stopped from being pulled off by the shackles, up. He also straightened his shirt, and buttoned it.

This might not be the best of times to get in a row with the hack. Not that I'm scared, he told him self, but it might be nice to stay out of trouble for at least one day.

"Hold out your arms," the guard said, and got the key to the shackles out.

Finally Ryan could move freely again.

"Well, you won't be getting breakfast, that's for sure!" the hack said. "And don't think you'll be out of those shackles all day! I´ll give you an hour before I come back and put them on again."

Ryan drew a very heavy sigh.

Why can't they just give me ONE FUCKING BREAK.

The hack continued his nagging. "When I come back, you will have got yourself into a decent state and have cleaned up this mess!" Voice filled with disgust.

"You'll spend the rest of the day in the cell, cleaning it, and finally I might add, put your new set of clothes on their appointed places in the closet! That means you won't get any lunch either. The warden wants to see you this afternoon as well. And all of this, as well as your behaviour last night, will be in a report on his desk shortly!"

"What time is it? " Ryan asked, his mind still blurred.

"It's 6 o'clock already!" The hack said. " NOW GET CRACKING!"

The sharp sound of the hack's voice made Ryan involuntarily jump.

The guard walked out and slammed the door hard.

Ryan laid back down. Then he remembered that the hack said he'd come back.

In an hour did he say! Fuck!

Ryan realised he'd have to hurry if he was going to pick up the mess he had created during the night by then.

He got out of bed, realising that at least his skin wasn't hurting too bad today.

First bloody good thing happening this lousy day, he thought to himself.

He got out of the ugly light blue pyjamas, peed, and washed himself as best he could in the icy cold water left from yesterday.

How on earth can anyone keep up their hygiene in here, when you don't even get fresh water! He thought, disgusted.

Come to think of it, Jugding by the complete lack of a luxury such as as sink with runing water, the place this had to be either a holding cell or an isolation cell, not that there was much difference between them.

He thanked the lord that, strage as it may seem, at least the toilet seemed to be working.

He brushed his teeth, and was just about to shave when he realised that he hadn't been issued a razor.

He swore over this a bit, but then considered that it wasn't the end of the world. Besides, there was no time to obsess over any of this now. He didn't know what time it was, but he knew that either way he was in a hurry.

He picked up the paper bag from the floor and put it on his unmade bed. He took a pair of trousers and a shirt of the floor.

They were denim.

Thick, unforgiving, starched denim, with the usual number printed on the back and over the right side of the chest.

He got dressed, and the clothes were just as uncomfortable as they looked.

He was surprised at how uncomfortable a pair of trousers and a shirt could be compared to the clothes he was allowed to wear in Oz. He wondered what time it was.

He picked up the rest of the clothes from the floor, and put the on the unmade bed in a big pile. He then opened the locker.

In the locker he found 5 shelves, all with tags under them, saying 'trousers", 'shirts' and so on.

Nothing left to imagination.

They really are control freaks in this place, he though to himself.

He folded the clothes as best he could; he never had been very good at household duties.

He then put them at their assigned places.

He was just finished when he heard the door buzzing.

Shit! he thought. Just made it.

The hack entered.

"Well, let's see what you have accomplished. At least you are dressed, that's something," he said, voice filled with sarcasm. "However you need to tuck your shirt in, and button the last two buttons!" he said dryly.

Ryan sighed, but did as he was told, feeling even more constricted in his uniform afterwards.

"The room is still a disgrace, you'll have to clean the rest of it with cuffs on. The clothes, you might as well take out again, they're a mess! Didn't they teach you how to fold clothes at Oswald? The bed is still unmade, and for heavens sake pick up the blanket and bedspread off the floor! I'll have to inform you of the fact that all of this will be in the report to the warden as well," he stated. "Now, hold out your hands so I can put the cuffs on."

"But I haven't had a chance to shave yet," Ryan said, realising afterwards how stupid he had sounded, adding in an as rebellious voice as he could, "I have no razor."

"Prisoners are not given a razor to keep in their cell automatically; you will have to earn one. They keep them locked up and you'll have to ask for one every morning," the hack said. "Now hold you hands out so I can cuff them!"

Ryan did, reluctantly and got cuffed.

"You know, the way you behave yourself, you should be very grateful that we haven't put you in the hole yet!" The guard continued.

Ryan listened to the hack's endless nagging. The hole would be a refreshing rest compared to this!

He was forced to tear out the clothes from the closet again, and spent most of his morning folding and refolding them, cuffs and shackles on, under the supervision and critique of the guard.

He then made his bed while the hack was still watching.

He felt as if he would die of boredom.

The guard finally left him alone at 2 o'clock.

Ryan was, by then exhausted.

I´ll be happy if I never meet that bloody cocksucker again, he thought.

He sat down, and realised how awfully tired he was.

It had been very late (about 2 o'clock Ryan guessed,) when he had finally been able to fall asleep, in spite of the pain and all his frustration, and he had only slept for what felt like and awfully short time.

He laid down on the bed, not caring that he was wrinkling it all again, and fell asleep.

He woke up hearing the hack yelling, he hadn't even heard the buzz of the door.

"GET UP!" the guard shouted, making Ryan's head hurt.

"You just made your bed, and now look at it! Straighten it out! When you are done, the warden wants to se you. I'll be back in five minutes!"

The hack slammed the door on his way out.

Ryan shoved to his feet after the hack had left. He straightened the bedspread and then carefully sat down on it, not taking any chances, thinking: If that fucking hack tells me to do ANYTHING more today I´ll fucking kill him!

The guard came back.

"All right, finally, that's better." Ryan took no notice.

"O.K, let's get to the wardens office then. I also talked to Mister Mc Manus, he wants to see you tomorrow."

"I don't want to see him !" Ryan protested loudly.

Even though Mc manus was the one who had to told him about the program they had in here, where you could get your parole back, he had agreed to have Ryan tranfer here as a service to the new warden at Oz, not as a favour to Ryan.

There was was no love lost between the two of them, not that there had ever been.

"Seeing Mc Manus or not is not your choice to make, as I have tried to tell you. In here you have no say in what you do or don't, until we say you do so. But since my words are so obviously lost on you, I hope the warden can teach you a thing or two, or that is to say, I know he will, one way or the other. I jst hope, for your own sake that it will be sooner than later."

Yeah, yeah, big fucking deal! Ryan thought.

Still he couldn't stop that eerie feeling running down his spine...

The hack lead him, in the usual fashion, still by the neck, down the corridor and into another.

They passed some inmates who took a long curios look at Ryan.

Ryan turned and twisted in the hacks grip, cussing at the inmates as they walked past.

" See you later, cocksuckers!"

"BE QUIET!" the guard yelled harshly. "I can't believe you seem so eager to get into trouble! By the looks of you, if you just sit still in here for a few minutes, it'll surely come to you!"

Ryan didn't answer.

He was told to wait outside the wardens office, (not that he had much choice, as the hack fastened his cuffs to a bench there,) and a guard would come and let him loose when the warden was ready for him.

The old hack left him with the words :"Well, good luck with the warden, you're sure going to need it!"

Ryan wasn't too nervous over his words, but still felt a bit uncomfortable as he waited, and waited, and waited..

Much later, a guard came out from the wardens office, said: "the warden wants to see you now," and loosened the cuffs from the bench.

"Ryan O´reily, is it?" the warden said.

"What if it is!" Ryan was quick to answer.

"Well, well, well, that's quite a mouth you've got on you.." the warden replied. "Too bad. It certainly won't do you any good in here! Now, let's get to work then, shall we. State your full name, date of birth and convictions please!"

Ryan sighed; the warden quite obviously knew who he was and what he had done, so basically he just wanted to fuck with Ryan. Ryan felt tired though, and decided on not picking a fight with the warden.

" Ryan Patrick O´reily , born on August 12, 1968. Convicted on July twelfth, 1997 for two counts vehicular man slaughter, 5 counts reckless endangerment, possession of controlled substances, criminal possession of a weapon and parole violation. They sentenced me to life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole in 12 years, but they took the parole away when I got my conviction of 40 years for murder while I was in Oz."

It felt strange calling his convictions out loud like that.

Of course I'm aware of them, he thought to himself, but still it's uncomfortable...

But he didn't want to get too philosophical, not now, in fact not ever, it never did you any good!

He was awakened from thought by the warden.

"I can see from the report that officer Jones, whom you met both last night and this morning, handed in, that you haven't done very well since arriving here." the warden said and took a long harsh look at Ryan.

Ryan wasn't too bothered though.

They will have to do a lot worse than that to scare me! he thought.

" I won't say much about it, except that if you want to get treated well in here, you'd better sharpen up, a lot." The warden continued, "I know that new prisoners sometimes have a hard time adjusting to our rules, but most of the rules you have managed to go against since coming here should be quite obvious, are they not?"

The wardens tone of voice was purely sarcastic. Ryan didn't feel like answering. Opening his mouth right would most certainly do him no good!

"All right , I won't tell you about the rules and regulations of the facility. You can, and will read about them in here." The warden gave him a rather thick booklet. "We expect you to have read this by tomorrow! I won't punish you for he things you have done so far..."

Ryan, although he told himself he wasn't scared, was actually very relived.

"...But if, from tomorrow morning and on, you manage to get yourself into trouble, you will be duly punished. You can read a bit of what kind of punishment to expect in the booklet, even though that is quite individual."

Fuck! Ryan thought. They really are trying to scare you with this shit!

"All right that will be all. Dismissed!" the warden said.

"But I want to do this thing that Mc Manus told me about!" O´reily said quickly. "Something about getting the possibility of parole back."

"Oh, our newly developed CP- program. Well, the way you have behaved, I doubt that you are welcome into it. I´ll ask the board and Mc Manus who is the supervisor of the program though. Here is a folder about how the program works and what's going to be expected of you when you enter into it," the warden said. " Now if that was all, you're dismissed. GUARD!"

A hack entered.

"Take him back to his cell. He stays there for the rest of the day, and no lunch, or dinner!"

Ryan's heart sank.

Fuck that's cruel! He thought. I haven't fucking eaten since lunch, yesterday!

He had started to feel a bit light-headed.

I'll be damned before I confessed any weakness to these cocksuckers though! he thought

He was taken back to his cell, and the hack slammed the door shut.

Ryan, still not feeling very well, threw the folder he had got from the warden by the basin and was just about to lie down on the bed when the old hack entered.

"Oh no you won't! " he told O´reily. " I told you this morning that you would spend the rest of the day cleaning your cell, and that is exactly what you are going to do!"

" Here is a bucket of water, and a brush. Now get down on your hand and knees and scrub everything in here!" The guard yelled, leaning over Ryan who was sitting on the bed.

"On my hands and knees!" Ryan protested.

"Yes, on your hands and knees. The exercise will do you good. Maybe if we take some of that adrenaline out of your system, you might even be able to keep that big mouth of yours shut! I´ll be back in a few hours and I expect the whole cell to be shining! Toilet, closet, floor, cell door, everything! Is that understood?"

"Yeah, yeah." Ryan let out in a disappointed tone, forgetting that he was supposed to be calling the man 'sir', or at least be polite!

"What was that! Don't you get fresh with me! You had better straighten up your act quickly if you want to ever get out of here! Now give me a proper answer, DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE TO DO!"

"Yes, I understand!" Ryan answered, feeling more and more sick by the minute.

"Hrmf." The guard said. "All right, since I can't be standing here arguing with you all day, I´ll forget the fact that you neglected to call me 'sir', again."

Ryan made no attempt to apologise.

"Now, give me you wrists so I can take off the cuffs." Ryan did .

"I´ll come back in 3 or 4 hours," the guard said. "And by then this place will be spotless or you will be in trouble!"

He walked out and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Ryan looked at the bucket of water and the brush. He considered sleeping a while before getting to work.

Unfortunately though, he supposed he would have to scrub the place, sooner or later. He opted for sooner, and got to work. After all, he had no way of knowing what time it was and when the hack would be back; and he knew that if he didn't get the cell in a well enough order before the hack got back, he would be in deep shit!

He got down on his hands and knees, the denim clothes stale and uncomfortable, got hold of the brush and stuck his hand in the bucket.

The water was freezing!

That figures; he thought, not only am I stuck in a tiny, dark, draughty cell with no window, I now have to scrub the fucking place inside and out, and end up freezing my hands stiff in the process. And I'm soooo FUCKING hungry!

After he had started scrubbing, he quickly realised that it was indeed going to take the full 3 or 4 hours that the hack had given him.

The floor was grimy as though it had never been cleaned, and he himself got more and more dizzy by the minute; like being high, but without the pleasurable feelings, only the dizziness left.

By now his hands were freezing cold and starting to feel stiff.

As he was walking the corridor on one of his endless rounds to see that everything was in order, Officer Jones, or Thomas as he was called by people who knew him, couldn't stop thinking about the boy, or man if you like.

He seemed like one of those types who were too smart for his own good.

He was probably the type of boy that, having nothing to do with his cleverness, put it all into getting into trouble.

Pity though, he seems like someone that could lead a decent life on the outside, if he only gave giving up his attitude half a try. Apparently he's got some feelings left in him too, at least it seems so if you think about him crying yesterday when I had left the cell, Jones thought.

He had asked Mc Manus about the boy, background and such.

Apparently the guy went berserk after his brother had been hit on the head and left brain damaged and retarded. Who wouldn't though...

It also seemed that in a way it had been the boy's fault that his brother had got hit, or at least the boy felt it was. That must be pretty hard to live with.

Of course he has quite a lot of obvious dark sides to him as well, like getting his brother, who he claims to have loved so dearly, to kill the husband of a woman he had a crush on, Jones thought

Also, anyone that had ever seemed to have annoyed him has ended up dead sooner or later with, of course, nothing to tie him to their deaths most of the time.

Mc Manus had warned him not to swallow everything O´reily delivered.

I can see why... So it is all a game of chance, still I would like to try to get to the boy, in one way or the other. Maybe I should ask the warden if the boy is going to make the CP-program, and if not, if I can mould out a program for him. Yup, I´ll go do that right away.

" ...See the way I see it, sir, if I may, is that maybe he needs part of the CP- program, most likely the real CP-part of it, but there are other things he needs too, I feel. I don't think he'll do very well with the CP-program, he'll just get into trouble again and again, until he can't be managed anymore. I think, and this is just my humble idea, that what he needs is a mentor, to be with him almost all the time. He needs to have one person with him that he can't mess around with, not 5 or 6 like in the CP- program. I´d like to see him sent to the shrink too, if costs allows it, and also to have him meet some of the people he's hurt. I know, I know they did that in Oz and it didn't work, but sometimes you need someone to push you harder than what I think they did."

"Well, you seem to know what you are talking about, Thomas. All right, you can have him, but if he gets into too much trouble we'll discuss an appropriate punishment and then you will send him to me and I´ll deal with him. Also, I´ll need to be notified of the decisions on the heavier CP-parts of whatever program you build up, and approve of those parts of the program. It has to do with the law and such. In most cases I´ll let you decide on an appropriate punishment for him. Smaller issues you can deal with by yourself directly, and I give you free hands and resources to do as you please with him. But when it comes to serious crimes, fights or other severe violations of prison- rules and regulations, I want you to report to me, we'll discuss it, and then I or Mc Manus deal with him. As far as counselling and the likes, you can set up what you want, just report what you have decided to me. When it comes to the parole issue, I think we both need to work together on that; if he ever gets his act together that much, which I seriously doubt. Also we need to let Tim in on all of this and let him have his say and part in it, since he knows O´reily from Oz. Would that be ok with you? Don't get me wrong, it's a great plan, I just need to have some control of the legal stuff."

"It sounds like a great deal, sir!" Jones said.

Ryan had scrubbed for what felt like an eternity, he had a headache the size of New York city, he could barely feel his hands, and the floor still didn't look much better.

He started on the toilet anyway though, and he was disgusted by what he found when looking into it.

He contemplated not doing it, but he knew that the guard had it in for him and that he really needed to focus on getting his chances of parole back.

Not at any fucking cost though...he thought.

He was startled when he heard the buzz of the door.

Fuck! I'm not finished and the cocksucker is back already!

"Well, well, well... I thought so. You just can't do anything properly, can you?" the guard said after taking a look at the floor, which almost looked dirtier than when Ryan had started on it.

Ryan, still on his hands and knees, pushed himself up into standing position and tried to say something rude, but the words wouldn't come out.

Instead the whole room started spinning.

The guard helped him sit down on the bed.

"You fucking cocksuckers, you're all trying to kill me with this shit!" Ryan yelled as loud as he had strength to, which wasn't very loud... " You have me working like a fucking slave, and I haven't eaten since lunch, yesterday!"

"BE QUIET!" the guard yelled. "Now just lie down, I´ll be back in a minute. Don't you try any funny business!"

Ryan couldn't have, even if he had wanted to.

He couldn't sit up or he'd pass out, and so he opted for shutting up and staying down.

After all, I am getting that well deserved rest I need, he thought.

Jones shut the cell door behind him, went into the prison kitchen and got a tray, a pitcher of water, a glass, and a piece of yesterday's stale old bread.

I´ll feed him, but I sure as hell won't give him any gourmet food! He thought.

Then he remembered that the warden had said: 'no lunch and no dinner either'...

Never mind, he thought, I´ll take that fight later. The boy needs something to eat if he is to make it through the day!

At the last minute he poured some dextrose he knew was in one of the medicine cabinets into the water. He knew from his own experience that it tasted horrible, but the boy was probably going to need it.

When he got back, he was pleased to see that for once the boy had done what he had told him to do,; stayed down on the bed.

Ryan was lying on top of the freshly made bed, holding his forehead, looking sullen and rebellious.

"Now, I'm going to make an exception to all the rules for once, and go against the warden's orders. Here is some dinner."

He put the tray with the water and bread on the table where the basin was standing, pulled Ryan into a sitting position and held him there for a while.

Eventually the boy fought off the supportive hold on his arm, took the bread, bit off a piece, chewed, and said: "Fuck, stale old bread and water huh? It's worse than in old fucking movies! It sucks!"

The guard sat quietly and secretively supported the prisoners back. He didn't really need more nagging, it wouldn't do any good now, not that it had ever seemed to...

He handed O´reily the glass of water. "Drink," he said "you need it!"

The prisoner took some of the water into his mouth but immediately spit it out, on the freshly scoured floor...

"The FUCK is this?" he yelled.

"It's dextrose" the guard said calmly, " I'm not trying to drug you if that's what you thought, it's just to get your blood sugar up. Now drink it."

"I don't want to," the boy protested.

Thomas got tired.

" I SAID DRINK! " he yelled, and held the glass to the boy's mouth, making him drink some of it. " I'm tired of your nonsense! I'm trying to help you, now DO AS YOU ARE TOLD!"

Ryan, partly in shock, and partly having been guilt stricken by the guard's words, finished the whole glass in one sweep.

The guard poured him another glass, handed him the bread and said: "Now whether or not this tastes very good you'll eat it! The last thing we need from you is that you pass out and hit your head and die or something, not that it matters to us..."

It would be a pity though he thought.

" ...If you do, we'll have all sorts of papers to fill in and investigations to do, and we just don't want the trouble!"

Ryan couldn't help himself from smiling. He remembered a similar situation taking place in Mc Manus´s office a few years back, when instead of getting sent to the hole, he was returned to the infirmary. It seemed he was always lucky that way.

"WHAT ARE YOU SMILING AT!"

He was awakened from his thoughts by the hack.

"Nothing that's any of your business!" he quickly replied.

He then looked at the hack, who by now had an expression on his face that revealed that the one thing he would like more than anything now, was to give Ryan a good thrashing. Ryan again smiled at him, snidely. He saw the hack get up, move his hand and then he felt the burning over his ear and cheek.

" THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" Ryan yelled in a hurt, humiliated tone.

"TEACHING YOU SOME RESPECT OF YOUR SUPERIORS!" the guard answered sharply. " NOW, SINCE YOU ARE WELL ENOUGH TO GET SMART WITH ME, I SHOULD MAKE YOU GO BACK TO SCOURING YOUR CELL, BUT SINCE I KNOW THAT YOU STAYED UP ALL NIGHT CRYING YOU EYES OUT OVER SOMETHING, AND THAT YOU ARE PROBABLY EXHAUSTED, I WON'T! SO EAT YOUR BLOODY DINNER, LIE DOWN, AND COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, YOU INSOLENT BOY!"

Fuck, he knows about me crying last night Ryan thought, knowing that any knowledge the hacks had about his weaknesses they'd use. And while the hack stormed out, slamming the door behind him so hard that Ryan's ears ached from the sound, Ryan realised that since the hack had yelled out what he knew about Ryan crying, the whole prison would know of his weakness by tomorrow, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He reluctantly did as the hack had told him, finished the stale, old bread and drank the awful concoction that the hack had brought him in the pitcher, the right side of his face still aching from the cuff he had received.

He then lied down, on his left side, and fell asleep.

When he woke up from the door buzzing, he did actually feel a lot better. He was still pissed at the old hack for slapping his face though, the fucker!

" So you are still asleep huh! Well, well, some are lucky." His tone was harsh and dry. " It's late, light's out in 30 minutes. I suggest you get a move on and get ready so I can put your cuffs on for the night!"

Ryan sighed.

"Tonight as well?" he said, trying to sound sweet and credible so that he would get out of wearing them.

"Yes. Tonight, tomorrow and next month or until whenever warden Hughes decides you are trustworthy enough to sleep without them. Now get cracking!"

I'm really starting to understand what Mc Manus said, Jones thought. The boy won't fool me though; not yet; he'll have to do a lot better than that!

Ryan shrugged, got out of bed, reluctantly, and headed towards the basin.

"Hey! I haven't gotten any fresh water in this thing since yesterday, and now there is not much left, and the little that is, is disgusting! How about getting someone to look over the fucking hygiene routines in this fucking place!" Ryan complained.

" WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" the hack yelled.

Ryan gave him another one of his 'charming', snide smiles.

Before Ryan knew it, the hack had taken the pitcher that belonged to the basin, grabbed a hold of the outer part of Ryan's left ear and was pulling him towards the door.

"YOU FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Ryan yelled, trying to twist out of the guard's grip. He was forced to give up though, because the more he twisted, the harder the guard's grip around his ear became, and the more it hurt!

"Like I told you before, I'm just trying to teach you some respect for your superiors, and you will learn," the guard said, quite effortlessly and happily.

He led Ryan out through the corridor and into a room which to Ryan looked like a urinal with some sinks in it.

"Here! Have your fresh water then!"

The guard let go of Ryan's ear gave him the pitcher and pushed him towards one of the sinks. Ryan turned on the water, filled the pitcher, took a quick glance at the guard without him seeing it, and saw that he had turned away for a moment.

He held out his hand and drank some water from the tap. The fresh cold water made him feel a bit better. He also managed to get a splash of fresh water on his face, without the guard seeing it. He dried his face on his already soaked shirt, so the guard wouldn't notice. You had be careful!

Jones smiled behind O´reilys back. The boy was pretty smart, taking advantage of every chance to get some pleasure, rest, or whatever it was he wanted at that moment. Jones pretended he didn't see anything though. When he saw that the boy had had enough water, and had washed his face, he turned around again and sharply said: "Allright, that's enough; we don't have all night, come here."

Ryan sighed and dragging his feet, delayed the moment he got back as much as possible.

It almost made Jones smile again, but he contained himself and said: "I said come here!"

He stepped towards Ryan, took the pitcher from him and with the other hand grabbed his ear again.

Ryan's face writhed, but he knew better than to put up a fight this time, and so he simply went along with the hack and tried to look as if he was no worse for wear.

It was hard!

The hack led him down the corridor to his cell. It occurred to Ryan that he hadn't had the chance to get much of a look around the prison's facilities. It was a pity that all the 'trips' outside his small and un- homelike cell had to be so painful! It also occurred to him that all that pain had basically been self-induced, but he quickly knocked that thought out of his head! He brushed his teeth and put on his ugly, and very smelly pyjamas thinking: when were they going to let me change clothes in this place, or HAVE A SHOWER?

The hack then said "All right, I think you know the routine by now. "

Ryan acted as if he didn't understand what on earth the hack was talking about.

" You know full well what I mean, now give me your wrists so I can cuff you."

Ryan moved towards the hack extremely slowly, shuffling his feet.

"Give me your wrists so I can cuff them !" The hack said with suppressed anger, not looking at all amused.

Ryan was happy. He loooved making life difficult for people of authority, wherever he was. Always had.

This time he held out his hands though, and the hack cuffed them.

"Light's out in two minutes! You're lucky you didn't have to undress in the dark," the guard said, smiling quite snidely himself this time.

Ryan mumbled some not so well chosen insults under his breath.

"What was that !" the guard said and raised his hand in a threatening way.

"Nothing," Ryan said, arrogantly, feeling it wasn't worth another box on the ear.

" I thought so!" the guard said with a warning in his eyes and tone of voice, but a superior, satisfied look on his face." Good night!" he said sharply. "I suggest you get some more sleep than yesterday, because since you were not ready in time this morning, I'll be waking you up at 5.30, half an hour before everyone else, so that you can get ready for your morning meeting with Mister Mc Manus."

Ryan let out a massive sigh.

"What!" the guard said. Ryan didn't answer but walked over to his bed, unmade it and got down beneath the smelly covers.

The guard let himself out of Ryan's cell, and slammed the door with an effective 'BOOM' that made Ryan's headache return.

All of a sudden he was back at Oz, on the night of Cyril's execution. He was standing in the witness-room as Cyril was strapped in the chair and the hood with its electric cords was placed on his head.

"Cyril O´reily, you have been convicted of the murder of Li Chien, and sentenced to die in the electric chair."

He heard Cyril screaming, 'IT WASN'T MY FAULT, TELL THEM RYAN, TELL THEM!'

He opened his mouth to scream, but not a sound would come out, and then the hacks came from all angles seizing him, while he was struggling for his and Cyril's lives, desperately trying to say something, crying.

He woke up with a jerk, and found himself wrapped tightly, like a mummy, in his quilt.

Fuck, it was all a dream!

Cyril was dead, and there was nothing, nothing at all that he could do about it.

He missed him awfully!

He missed having someone to turn to with his secrets as a kid, someone to tell how hot that chick in 6th grade was.

He missed having someone to comfort him when he was afraid of what their father would say, or even worse do, when he had gotten in trouble. Someone who loyally stood by his side in the Irish gangs, the only one he could REALLY FUCKING TRUST.

He even missed the Cyril that was, after the wedding fight. The sweet ever-trusting Cyril with his stupid and never ending questions that had bugged the hell out of Ryan at the time.

"Rise and shine O´reily."

He heard the voice of the old guard. 'Officer Jones' was it ? He wasn't in the mood for having anyone around right now, much less a fucking hack!

"All right O´reily, get up! You have an important meeting today with Mister Mc Manus, and since I'm in charge of getting you up this morning, I intend to make absolutely sure that you are not late!"

"Fuck off," O´reily said, still lying down.

"Excuse me! What was that! " the guard said.

"I said fuck off!" O´reily issued once again, not caring that the guard could very well have him thrown in the hole for a thing like this. In fact, not caring very much about anything right now.

"I thought so..." The guard said and sighed.

He bent forward over Ryan who was still lying in bed and grabbed a strong hold of his ear. He twisted it until Ryan screamed "AOU!", and more or less pulled Ryan up by it, into a standing position.

"NOW DO I HAVE YOU ATTENTION!" He yelled.

"Yes!" Ryan whined as he twisted and turned trying to get the hack to let go.

"All right then," finally."

The hack let go of his ear, and Ryan tried to relax again.

"Let's get you into shape for your meeting with Mr. Mc Manus. You can have a shower today, cold of course, but you're not allowed to be near a razor yet, so you'll have to make your apologies to Mr. Mc Manus for not having shaved! You will also be getting a bottle of the deodorant that's been pre-approved for prisoners by the safety-board."

Shit! O'reily thought. Pre-approved deodorant! Why don't you just take away the entire right to my own opinions right away, while you're at it! Oh well, fuck it! At least I get to shower today! He thought to himself.

Ryan was forced to get up, pee and brush his teeth, all with the hack watching him closely. He was then escorted by the hack, in usual the fashion, into the shower area and got placed in one of the showers. He was surprised at the lack of people in the hallway and the shower, but then remembered that the guard had said that wake up call wasn't for another half an hour.

The hack uncuffed him and let him take off the pyjamas.

He got his shower, ( it was short, just 5 minutes, and cold,) and was escorted back to his cell.

"I'll be back in 10 minutes. You will be dressed and ready to go by then!" The hack said and then left him.

He heard the buzzing of the other doors and the yawning and moaning of the other prisoners as they were let out of their cells. All of a sudden he felt awfully lonely!

He got dressed, changing his clothes today, wanting to feel somewhat fresh even if it was just for a day or so. The outcome was pretty much the same though, same old stale, uncomfortable, fucking feeling!

The door buzzed.

"All right! Ready to go then? "

"How about that deodorant?" Ryan said grumpily.

"Oh! Yes that's right. Here you are." the hack gave him the bottle.

It was some Cheap disgusting stuff. Smelled like the junk you could buy down in those obscure little one dollar markets in downtown New York.

Still it's nice to smell fresh.

Hesprayed some on himself.

It will have to do for now, he thought, thinking that he could always have something else smuggled in at a later time. Maybe there was even a market for some alternative brands...

"All right!" the guard said harshly, interrupting Ryan's thoughts, "Tuck that shirt in, and button the last buttons!"

He did it, sighing.

"Wrists!"

Ryan still remembering yesterday, not particularly wanting a day like that today, held out his wrists voluntarily this time, and got cuffed again. It was only then he realised that he hadn't combed his hair for several days.

"Can I have a comb!" He asked rudely.

" 'May I have a comb, please'!" The guard corrected him sternly.

Ryan gave him a smug smile.

"Watch it O´reily," The hack said in a warning tone. "Now, wipe that smile of your face and let's go!"

Apparently not. Ryan thought in regards to the comb, and instead shook his head in order to get his hair to lay in a way that at least somewhat resembled a proper hairdo, splashing all the water in it onto the not very amused hack in the process.

"You asked for it," the hack issued and sighed.

Before Ryan could do anything about it, the hack grabbed his ear. And so of they went into the corridor, the guard two steps ahead and Ryan, twisting, turning and quietly cursing in the guards grip.

Mc Manus was highly amused when they showed up!

"Found a new friend, have you, O´reily?" he said cheerfully.

"Fuck you, Mc Manus!" Ryan said, far less cheerily!

The guard tightened his grip around Ryan's ear and twisted it so Ryan was forced to grimace heavily in order not to scream. Mc Manus couldn´t help but smile a bit.

"It's all right, Jones," He said. "You can let him go now."

The hack did so, gestured a goodbye to Mc Manus, and left.

Ryan was lead, by the cuffs this time, into Mc Manus´s office.

"O´reily, O´reily, O´reily. " Mc Manus sighed, Pacing back forth around Ryan. "Still as cocky as ever I see. Well, let's be honest, I didn't expect anything else from you, but I was hoping for a nice surprise. Oh well, never mind; they'll have you moulded into prison-shape in no time in here. See, in here, people are more efficient than in Em city, and although I sometimes have a problem with their harsh treatment of prisoners, I think this could be just the thing for you; in fact I'm sure of it."

Ryan hadn't exactly expected their reunion to be all fun and jokes; in fact he hadn't expected it to be very fun at all, but he was a bit surprised by the acidity in Mc Manus´s voice and his cockiness. Still he had always known that Mc Manus was a real jerk, and now it was clear to see that he was right.

"So how do you find you new home then, O´reily? Settled in O.K?"

"Fuck you, Mc Manus!"

"Yes, you've said that already. What I'm trying to say here, Ryan, is that in here, you get treated after how you treat people yourself, and the progress you make. If you are good, they reward your behaviour with, say, visitation rights. If you're disobedient they send you to the hole. "

"Oh yeah!" O´reily said. "Well it can't get much worse than the shithole of a cell I'm in now."

"Oh, it most certainly can, O´reily... In fact, why don't we let you see for yourself. GUARD!"

Before Ryan knew it, a guard was standing in the doorway.

"Take him to the hole, and let him stay there!"

I can't fucking believe what just happened! Ryan thought as he was led to the hole by a hack he had never met before. That fucking cocksucking bastard!

They stopped before an iron door, the guard took his cuffs off, and Ryan was told to strip.

(Apparently Mc Manus had brought quite a few of his stupid ass routines to his new place of work.)

When he didn't, the hack called for some of his 'colleagues' and while they were holding Ryan, he striped him of all his clothes. They then pushed him in through the door so harshly that he fell and cut his knee.

Fuck that's gonna scar Ryan thought.

Then he was alone...

Several hours later he heard the door open.

He got up, thinking that maybe that cocksucker Mc Manus had changed his mind and would let him out now.

No such luck. It was the old guard, 'Officer Jones'.

" So, you get out of you cell for 15 minutes and manage to get yourself thrown in the hole! Good job O´reily."

Ryan sat down quietly and sullen, not wanting to say anything until he knew where this was going.

"Well, since there is nothing I can do about the situation, and I wouldn't even if I could, since I agree with Mr. Mc Manus that you do need this, I just came by to tell you that you didn't make the CP-program and therefore, will not have the opportunity to gain your chance of parole back."

Ryan couldn't hide his disappointment and worry, as he groaned and put his head in his hands.

"On a more personal note I suggest that you take this time out to think, O´reily. For once in your life, sit down and think about what got you here, and I don't mean Mr. Mc Manus," feeling sorry for the boy who really hadn't done anything this time besides been very cocky, Jones added: "granted though, that he is a rather handsome man."

Ryan caught himself almost smiling at the hack's joke, but managed to keep a straight face.

" What I'm saying O´reily is that you need to think about what you are indeeddoing in here and more importantly, what in your behaviour got you here!"

Ryan issued the guard a: "fuck off, you cocksucker!"

The guard gave up, the boy obviously wasn't ready to listen.

"Very well, I hope you have a pleasant time with yourself then, whether it be a week, a month, or a year. Have fun!" He said harshly.

Ryan saw him close the door, and jumped a bit at the 'BOOOM' it issued as it closed.

The sound echoed trough the room, and then there was just him and the emptiness.


	2. Another Prison Another Town part 2 Irish...

Another Prison another Town Part 2- Irish Lullaby  
  
So this is it. He thought. Nothing left to do but to wait. Wait for them to get me back to that tiny room , people yelling and ordering me around. *Fuck* my life is *really* fucked up... O.K stop it O´reily, this is exactly what that *fuck* of a hack wants. He wants you to sit here and get weak and sobby so that he can break you down and into "prisonshape..." Ryan thought, remembering his short conversation with Mc Manus. Well, let them try, he thought, because it won´t *fucking* happen!!  
  
He noticed something red on the end of his arm and looked down where he had had his arm just a minute ago, at his knee. It was bleeding quite a lot now, and the wound was dirty, too. Fuck! He thought. The way things are going in here, I´ll probably die from fucking sepsis or the fuck it's called!  
  
He suddenly remembered coming home one day when he was 4 or 5 years old, having fallen on his way from school. He was crying, knee hurt and trousers torn. His moth... stepmother had kissed him and hugged him and told him that it was all going to be ok, and then he and Cyril both had gotten milk and cookies as a treat to make things better.  
  
He missed that life, it was before the gangs and everything. It had all seemed so simple, you had something bad happen, and some milk and cookies could make it better. Or you did something bad and you got a pasting, and as much as it hurt and was frightening, that was the end of it. There was no hole to be thrown into, (Alright so I did get locked in the attic a few times, and of course I got sent to his room ever so often, but the point was you got out fairly quickly!) There was no being locked up forever and ever, not ever being let out into the sunlight and fresh air. No "life + 40 years" to wake up to everyday. *Fuck* life was so much simpler then, why can't it be now... Stop it O´reily! Get your head straight! Don't fucking think like this, it won't do you any *fucking* good!! Sleep! That's right, I need sleep! Of course I'm thinking crazy, I'm worn out from not being able to lie down comfortable due to the fucking cuffs and all the other shit. All thanks to that *fucking hack* and the *fucking warden*, and most of all that *fucking cocksucker* Mc Manus!  
  
He tried lying down comfortably on the hard cement floor. Finding a good position proved to be difficult... But as he found when he lied down, he was so tired that the cold, wet feeling against his body and the lack of something under his head didn't bother him much.  
  
He fell asleep.  
  
His stepmother's milk and cookies where a far cry from the day-old-stale- bread-and-water diet he received the following days, or had it been a week by now?  
  
With the room being a constant night, and meals all the same, time slipped into itself, beginning again every time he woke up.  
  
The wound on his knee wasn't getting any better either, it had started to puss. But I'll be damned before I ask one of these cocksuckers for help!! He thought. Speaking of cocksuckers, he hadn't had a visit from that old fucker of a hack since the day he got thrown in here, nor a visit from Mc Manus, but that he was more than happy about.  
  
"Lunch!!" The guard yelled as he opened the hatch to push the tray in. No big surprise, water with that funky shit in it, and stale, old fucking bread. Welcome to the rest of your life O'reily, he thought gloomily to himself. He felt like it had been an eternity.  
  
"Hey, O´reily!" he got startled and looked up at the hatch. "So how has your week been?" voice filled with irony.  
  
It was one of the hacks, having a go at him; but with the hack on the other side of an iron door, with a hatch that closed from the outside, there was nothing he could do about it...  
  
"Fuck off!!" he yelled at the guard.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." The guard said. " You won't be so cocky after Officer Jones has had his way with you. He's coming by this afternoon, so I'd be sure to be on my best behavior if I were you O´reily!"  
  
"Yeah, well he can go *fuck* himself!!" O'reily yelled, as the hack closed the hatch.  
  
Deep down though, he was glad to finally get some human contact with someone other than the guards, shoving his breakfast-lunch-dinner-who-the- hell-cared-which-meal-it-was-it-was-still-disgusting-bread and water in through the hatch and the leaving him without a word and nothing to do but to sleep, and think...  
  
That was probably the worst bit about the hole; sure it was cold (it's fucking February and they stick me in here to freeze my balls off!!) and dark, but the worst part about being lonely for more than 12 hours at a time was that you started thinking...  
  
About family, (and O'reily *really* didn't want to go there). Your life in general and future plans, (Oh! Yes I plan on spending the rest of my life in this *fuckhole*, being pushed around by *fucking* hacks that want nothing more than to have a go at me. I really have nothing more important to do...) And most depressing of all, actually trying to figure out what had brought him here. Because even though he tried his *very best* to turn the old hack's words out of mind, it was really, really...  
  
*************************************************************************** Jones's week had been a busy one. First the arrival of O´reily and then taking care of him, and then of course the paperwork when the boy had managed to get himself thrown into the hole.  
  
Because even though it was Mc Manus that had ordered that the boy be thrown into the hole (You usually needed to be two people to tango...) *He* was the one who ended up with all the paperwork.  
  
He was also making sure that the boy got his breakfast-lunch-dinner water and bread, mixing some dextrose in the water every time. The boy obviously needed something extra in his diet, low blood sugar probably, no sense in taking chances of him getting injured now that I'm so close to getting things sorted for him.  
  
Also, he was struggling to make the program for the boy look presentable to the warden and Mc Manus, Mc Manus being the one that would need the most convincing.  
  
On top of all of this, he had to take his dog, Maggie the Basset, to the vet; (bloody ears playing up again!!)  
  
*************************************************************************** A couple of hours later Ryan heard the door open, and the old hack entered.  
  
Ryan didn't get up. He didn't want the hack to get any funny ideas about his visit meaning *shit* to him!  
  
"So, you have survived so far I see," the hack said, trying to make conversation, or being friendly or the fuck do I know Ryan thought. He had no intention of answering.  
  
"I see that you are angry. That's quite understandable, although if you think about it, I'm sure you realize that you brought this on yourself."  
  
The *fuck* I did! Ryan thought.  
  
"Anyway, I'm here to make you an offer."  
  
Ryan suddenly got much more interested in what the hack had to say!  
  
"I have had a talk with Mc Manus and the warden, and they'll let you out of the hole, *on the condition* that you participate in a program that has been specially drawn up for you by me."  
  
"Oh yeah!! And what does this "program" *shit* involve??" Ryan asked cockily.  
  
Jones took a deep breath and managed to control his anger over the fact that the boy had so easily apparently dismissed his program already.  
  
" Well, first of all, and you must understand that this is subject to change, so new demands can be made on you at any time, it involves respecting primarily me and secondly the other guards and staff. I know it might be hard, seeing since you obviously have no manners what so ever, but I'm sure you'll learn some at some point." At this Ryan snorted.  
  
"Secondly, it involves a steady work routine with what ever we appoint you to do. Thirdly it involves you participating in some practices that I have drawn up for you, and also going to the prison psychiatrist once a week."  
  
Ryan sighed. Now, *that* was something he *really didn't * want to do!!!  
  
But then again I might have to go and just sit there, in order to get out of this shithole! He thought.  
  
"But the most important thing for you physically, is that this program involves the same thing as the CP-program."  
  
Ryan was confused, " the most important thing physically"?  
  
"Now did you get a chance to read the folder that the warden gave you about the CP-program?" The hack asked.  
  
"*No,* I didn't because that *fucking* cocksucker Mc Manus had me thrown in here!" Ryan issued cockily.  
  
"Hmm, that's not entirely true; " the hack said harshly, his face stern. "*You* had *yourself* thrown in here. *You* were cocky towards a superior and so you got punished for what *you* had done!"  
  
"Yeah, Yeah." Ryan replied.  
  
"Very well, I'll leave you here with these papers about the new program I have drawn up for you, and you consider it for a few days," the hack said and threw him a bunch of computer written pages. He then left.  
  
And so once again Ryan was alone...  
  
He got up, and fetched the papers that the guard had thrown in.  
  
"Alternative rehabilitation plan for prisoner 0608O6498, Ryan O´reily"  
  
"Rehabilitation"... what a load of bullshit!! Oh well, might as well continue reading, not much else to do in this fuckhole!! He thought.  
  
"Presentation: The essence of the program is a few methods of treatment such as counseling, victim-perpetrator meetings, and meeting with other persons who has had an influence of the prisoners life, such as family,"  
  
*NOT* something I want to do...  
  
" A harsh and steady work-routine,"  
  
Harsh... scrubbing floors from dusk till dawn no doubt! Is it worth it? I want out though, and if this is the only way... Oh fuck it! Just read Ryan, don't think, just fuckin' read!!!  
  
"Anger management and anti-drug classes,"  
  
Been there done that, but hey if that means they might let me out...  
  
" Continuous close supervision of the prisoner."  
  
*Fuck* there goes the moneymaking! Unless I'm really subtle about it...I'm sure I can get away with some trading, but that's a later question, have to get out of this fuckhole first!!  
  
"Personnel in charge of punishment of prisoner: Punishment for lighter disciplinary problems will be dealt with by officer Jones. In case of severe disobedience, punishment will be determent by Warden Hughes in conjunction with Officer Jones and Mister Mc Manus."  
  
*Oh fuck!!* they're gonna let that cocksucker Mc Manus in on this thing?!  
  
Method of punishment: Punishment according to the prison-regulations with a supplementary possibility of use of corporal punishment, as allowed by the State, in document 187492J/2002 paragraph 1- 265."  
  
*Fucking hell!!!* "Corporal punishment"!?! I thought they ditched that in the nineteen hundreds!?! He thought. On the other hand, how fucking bad can it be, Cyril and I got our knocks from dad so...  
  
He remembered every one talking about "the CP-program", and the hack saying: "... the most important thing for you physically, is that this program involves the same thing as the CP-program." That must have been what he meant.  
  
"The punishment-methods are subject to change at any given point, and no warning is required to be given to the prisoner. Nor will he be able to leave the program should any light changes of any kind in the program occur."  
  
*Fuck* So when...*if* I say yes... that means I'm stuck!  
  
" What the prisoner will be able to gain by participating in the program:"  
  
*NOW* we're talking...  
  
" The prisoner will be able to get released from administrative segregation following his agreement to join the program. This does not however mean that he will not be sent there again if he oversteps the disciplinary boundaries of the program or the prison regulations in general."  
  
*Fuck you*!  
  
" If the prisoner responds well to the program and is obedient,"  
  
Sounds like I'm a *fucking dog!*  
  
"he MIGHT also be given other privileges, but there is no certainty of this."  
  
*ALRIGHT* *finally*, some perks in this hellhole!  
  
"All things stated in this document are subject to change."  
  
Then there were the usual signing lines... "I Ryan O´reily promise that I will follow the rules of the program as well as prison regulations, or I will be subject to punishment dealt out by stated personnel of Kansas State Correctional Facility in Sterling."  
  
So, was this what he wanted? He wasn't absolutely sure, Corporal punishment and all, but what he was sure of was that he didn't want to stay a minute longer in this hellhole!  
  
He then remembered that he hadn't read anything about gaining his parole back, maybe that wasn't part of the program... he suddenly got quite scared...Oh fuck, oh Christ!!! Please tell me they haven't taken that possibility away!!!  
  
It was the sole reason he had come here, and after being here for less than a week, he might have screwed all his chances of that up, completely. I'm such a *fucking* IDIOT!!! he thought.  
  
Alright O´reily, don't panic, after all it did say that there might be other perks if I was on a good behavior...*Oh fuck* here I am again... Stop thinking O´reily, it doesn't do you any good! Get some sleep again!  
  
He lied down, uncomfortably, caring more and more everyday since he got here that the floor was icy cold and wet, and hard to lie on, back, neck and shoulders aching, his knee throbbing and stinging.  
  
He had a dream about his mother, his REAL mother.  
  
She was singing in the gym, no one else around. He had been standing in the doorway, but walked in and sat down on the floor to listen to that angelic voice of hers. The voice he wished had been there to sing him to sleep all those lonely nights, after his father had given him a pasting for whatever he had done, or just for fun...  
  
She walked over to him and sat down to, still singing... "Over in Killarney, many years ago, me mother sang a song to me in tones so sweet and low. Just a simple little ditty, In her good old Irish way. And I'd give the world if she could sing that song to me this day."  
  
It was the song Tessie had always sung to him and Cyril when they were kids. It was a bit strange to hear his real mother singing it, but he liked it. He lied down in her knee and was held in her warm, tender arms.  
  
" Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral, Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Li, Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral, Hush now, don't you cry."  
  
The magic in her voice and of the words surrounding him, making him feel safe in the dark unholy place that was Oz.  
  
"Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral, Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Li, Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral. That's an Irish lullaby."  
  
Her smell wonderful, as was her smile, when she turned her head down to look in his eyes.  
  
"My baby..." she said, looking at him as though he wasn't the 30something ruthless killer that everybody else saw when they looked at him; most of them with disgust. To her he was still her baby-boy...  
  
"Oft' in dreams I wander to that cot again, I feel her arms a huggin' me. As when she held me then. And I hear her voice a hummin', to me as in days of yore, when she used to rock me fast asleep, outside the cabin door. Too- ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral  
  
Hush now, don't you cry. Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra- loo-ra-loo-ral, That's an Irish lullaby..."  
  
He woke up hearing screaming in the hallway. Someone was being taken to the hole and was not being very compliant.  
  
Fuck...Ma...He could still her voice and the song in his head and that just made it all worse...  
  
He missed her terribly.  
  
Haven't been allowed to see her in more than a year, haven't been allowed to see anyone as a matter of fact.  
  
They had taken away all of his privileges when he had had that fight with Alvarez. Left him with no visitors, no TV, no radio, not even a fucking book to read!  
  
And that was supposed to discourage me from getting into more fights... Sometimes he wondered how that cocksucker of a Warden that took over after Glynn had been thinking...  
  
Oh well, he was out of there now...  
  
Out of the frying pan, into the fire, he thought gloomily to himself. Fuck, why don't they ever let me out of here!?!  
  
He was getting impatient and it was not like him, but all of this new and crazy hope had wound him up...  
  
He had got used to the idea of spending the rest of his life in Oz, or he hadn't got used to it really, but he had had to accept it. But now, he was filled with this crazy hope that maybe, just maybe, he could get his chance of parole back... but then again he might have lost his chance at that again, not that he had ever had one... OH GOD O´REILY! YOU STUPID, STUPID FUCK!!!  
  
He banged his head into the stone wall until it hurt and he got dizzy. Didn't gain much from doing that though, he realized, just a headache.  
  
He was forced to admit now, that being thrown into the hole so soon after arriving had taken a toll on his confidence. Not the part of it telling him that he would always be O.K, because he would, but the one that told him that he could actually manage to keep in his place in this new place and get his chance at parole back and someday be free... In fact, if you looked at his situation right now, it had been quite justly shaken!  
  
How long did the guard say it was going to be until he came back for an answer? How many days? Two? Five? Eight? Ryan was surprised at how quickly he had surrendered to the idea of corporal punishment, in order to get out of the hole, and maybe one day get his parole back. Corporal punishment... Just the word...It sounds so fucking ancient and scary...  
  
The thought of someone beating him, like his dad, but not missing, and him not being allowed to duck, or protect himself...To put himself through that voluntarily, was a scary thought...  
  
Still if that is what I have to do to one day get out of here...  
  
He found himself humming, filling the emptiness with some sound, some comfort in the cold darkness...  
  
"And I'd give the world if she could sing that song to me this day." ***************************************************************************  
  
The days went by, creeping slowly towards what he thought was the end of the week. He had no sure way of knowing of course, but it felt like it.  
  
He had made up his mind now, he was just going to have to swallow the bitter pill and submit to the program, even though it felt scary as hell.  
  
Perhaps, there is still a possibility to milk this a bit...  
  
He was awakened one morning by the door opening and the old hack entering.  
  
*Finally!* Perhaps I can get out of this fucking place! He thought.  
  
"Alright, what's your standing point on the program I have drawn up for you?!" Voice stern and tone short.  
  
"Well, I suppose I'll have to say yes to it to get out of this *fucking hellhole*?!" Ryan said cockily.  
  
I sure as hell am not going to let that hack know he has me beaten!  
  
"That would be a correct assumption," the hack said, being just as resolute as Ryan.  
  
"So what about me being able to gain my possibility of parole back?!" Ryan said, tense while waiting for the response.  
  
Shit!! Breath Ryan, breath. Don't let this get to you! Oh! Who the fuck am I kidding, this *really* fucking matters!!! This is my whole fucking *life*!!!  
  
"Well, like I told you, you've lost that," the hack explained to him, patiently.  
  
"Alright," Ryan said, dealer voice on, full speed. " I'll do this *program- shit*, *if* I can get that possibility back"  
  
"No, you will submit to the program without gaining any possibility of parole, if you want to leave this "hellhole" as you call it. Otherwise, I could just leave you in here until the warden says it's all right to let you out. That way you will probably rot in here forever!" Voice filled with an amount of poison that really surprised Ryan. Still, he made no move. Not yet.  
  
The hack moved over to the door, got out, put his hand on it preparing to close it.  
  
"Alright. If that's the way you want it, see you in a year or two. Maybe..."  
  
He started closing the door.  
  
Ryan realized he couldn't win this one!!  
  
He quickly got up.  
  
"No wait!" he almost yelled. Trying not to sound desperate. He didn't do at all well.  
  
"I'll do it," he said, quietly, not wanting to admit even to himself that the hack had him beaten.  
  
"What was that? " The hack said, turning around to face Ryan again.  
  
"I'll do it," Ryan said, not louder, but a bit more cockily, attitude showing that he really didn't want to, that he was just doing it to be nice. Of course this wasn't true, and he knew it.  
  
"Louder!" the guard yelled.  
  
"I'LL DO IT, I'LL FUCKING DO IT *ALL RIGHT*!" Ryan had had enough and lost his temper.  
  
*Fuck*! *Bloody, fucking, cocksucking, hack*!! Not only is he going to make me agree to have my ass kicked, he's gonna have me beg to get it kicked too!!!  
  
"Good," the hack said, calmly. "Let's get you back to your cell then."  
  
Ryan got up and moved out as quickly as he could without letting the hack know just how badly he wanted out.  
  
"The papers..." the guard said and nodded towards the document lying on the floor in the hole.  
  
Ryan went in again and retrieved it, almost nervous that the hack would close the door on him while he was in there.  
  
"Wrists!" the guard said.  
  
Ryan sighed but held them out.  
  
As they walked in the corridor back to his cell, Ryan naked and cuffed, with the hack holding him by his neck in the usual fashion, the guard said "Oh, and O'reily...Stop swearing."  
  
Ryan didn't answer. 


	3. Another Prison Another Town Part 3 Fussi...

Part 3  
  
When they got back to the cell, the guard opened the door, let Ryan and himself in and said: "alright, let's get to work on this thing then."  
  
Ryan sat down on the bed, tired and cold.  
  
"Can I at least get dressed first?!" he said he said grumpily.  
  
"Yes. But make it quick, because unlike you, I haven't got all the time in the world."  
  
Ryan was thinking of a cocky reply, but left it this time. No sense in getting into trouble again...  
  
The guard took the cuffs off and Ryan was allowed to put his pajamas on. The guard then cuffed him again, and added the shackles to his restraints. Ryan sighed heavily while he was doing it.  
  
Ryan then sat down on the bed again.  
  
"Well then," the guard issued " sign here!"  
  
He put the paper before Ryan.  
  
Ryan hesitated for a moment.  
  
"You want back in the hole, that's fine by me. Leaves me with less work," the guard said.  
  
Ryan took a deep breath (as silently as he could, so that the guard wouldn't hear it.) And signed. He suddenly felt like he had signed his own death warrant.  
  
" Very well, I'll leave you alone for the night," the hack said, taking the document. " I'll be waking you up early tomorrow, we have a lot of work to do."  
  
"Oh, yeah?!?" O'reily replied. "What kind of "work"!?!"  
  
"Well, first of all getting this cell into shape, that will be your task for tomorrow. Later, I'll be back and explain a bit more detailed how the program is going to work. This program is going to be though on you, but hopefully you'll manage. Just stay out of trouble and do as I and your other superiors tell you, and you'll be fine."  
  
Ryan could hear that the hack tried to sound encouraging, but took no notice.  
  
I don't need his fucking encouragement, I just need to gain my parole and get out!!  
  
"Good night then, I'll see you tomorrow at 5.30."  
  
Ryan sighed.  
  
" Oh, and there is no point getting all riled up over the water this time. It's fresh," The hack said, obviously talking about their little "trip" to the sink the night before Ryan got thrown in the hole.  
  
"What day is it?" Ryan asked, suddenly remembering he had no idea.  
  
"It's Sunday the 7th of February. And it's 12 p.m. at night, so you'll have to get ready for bed in the dark, lights are out in 2 minutes. You were in the hole for just over two weeks," the hack said and walked out closing the door behind him.  
  
*************************************************************************** When Jones had walked out of the boy's cell, he sighed deeply. He had just realized that he was in for one HELL of a ride. He just hoped he could do it, heart a bit weak and all...  
  
I'll have to manage though, for the boy, even though he hates my guts he does deserve this chance to show that he can get turned around...  
  
Jones was in no way an idealist, but something in the boy's manner had stricken an interest in him, and he really believed that he could get the boy to turn at least some parts of his life around.  
  
...Then there is always the issue of parole. It would be nice to do something for one of these men, other than contain and restrain them, but that's a later issue, first he has to prove himself capable of obeying the basic rules. Something that Jones thought that he would most definitely have a problem with, at least in the beginning.  
  
He just hoped he had been right about the boy!  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Ryan didn't think much about anything that night.  
  
He was too tired...  
  
He got up off the bed, hitched his shirt, trousers and underwear as far down towards his wrists and ankles that he could and washed himself, feeling the wonderful fresh water on his skin, splashing it all over his body. He didn't care that half of it got wasted, falling on the floor or if some of it landed on his shirt or trousers.  
  
*GOD* I didn't know water could be this fucking lovely!! He thought to himself.  
  
He dried himself, pulled the pajama-shirt on again and buttoned it. It hadn't got all that wet, most of the water was on the floor. Although his pajamas reminded him that he was indeed in prison, and he really didn't want too wear it, just wearing it not to get sent to the hole again didn't seem like such a bad idea. In fact it was quite nice to be in some sort of "clothes" again after the cold humid air in the hole. Ryan shuttered at the thought of that place. Just when was about to pull up his pajama-pants he felt the sting in his knee. He looked down on the gaping, red, furious wound with its yellow pus.  
  
Fuck! Maybe I should ask someone to have a look at this...he thought.  
  
He didn't like the idea of having to expose any weaknesses to any of the fucking people in this fucking place! Let alone having to beg to be allowed to do it! Which he was fairly certain he would have to do...  
  
He tried to clean it out by himself using the towel that hung by the basin. It was *far* too painful though. He could barely touch the wound or the skin around it with the towel without screaming...  
  
He knew he would have to protect it though, and finding nothing else to wrap around it, he tore a bit of the towel, wrapped around his knee and tied it there. He pulled his pajama-pants up and got to bed, too tired to brush his teeth.  
  
Lying in the lumpy bed with the smelly quilt over his head, he remembered that from now on it was probably going to be a rough ride, corporal punishment and all. But he was too tired to think about that now, and so he fell asleep, and for the first time in this new place, slept like a baby...  
  
He woke up hearing the door buzz. His head was in a complete daze.  
  
*Fuck*! Must have slept hard! He thought to himself as he yawned and stretched out like a cat, lying on his side. "Oh dear!" he heard the voice of Officer Jones. " I never seize to be amazed at you O'reily! You got back from the hole less than 24 hours ago, your cell is yet again a complete mess and you yourself is not much better! This is getting to be tiring! " So is your nagging! Ryan thought, but he was too tired to shoot back at the officer.  
  
The hack then walked over to the table with the basin, where he spotted the torn, soaked towel that O'reily had disregarded, throwing it on the dirty, wet floor.  
  
" Now I don't know why it is you do these things! You know better than this!!" he said in a hurt disappointed voice. Ryan wasn't bothered though, tired of the nagging. He sat up on the bed, yawned again, seemingly careless and, stretched, eyes still closed.  
  
The hack went over to the bed and after giving him a look wild with anger, he got hold of Ryan's ear again and twisted it, forcing him to stand up.  
  
Ryan whose eyes had still been closed was too surprised to have the chance to yell anything, and so he twisted his face in order not to scream in pain, and breathing in a panting manner, was forced to walk with the hack over to the sink.  
  
"*This*" The hack said, "is the kind of thing that makes you land in the hole!"  
  
He was still holding Ryan by the ear, twisting it, while he held up the towel in front of Ryan's eyes to show him what he meant.  
  
"And considering that I'm sure you don't want to go back there right now, I'm *very* interested in how you will want to explain this to me, Mc Manus and the warden!"  
  
Ryan was quite interested in that himself! He hadn't really thought about it last night, he had just ripped the towel, tied the missing piece to his knee and gone to sleep, not thinking about it. And he was forced to agree that it would be tricky getting out of this one without getting punished! Still he was sure he could do it, thinking how mad can the fucking warden get, it's a fucking towel! Besides, I needed it for my knee!  
  
"Hold out you arms!" the hack ordered, voice still filled with anger. Ryan did so, and as the hack removed his cuffs and shackles, Ryan could see into his eyes. It was clear that Ryan was indeed in deep shit this time!!  
  
"Now get dressed!!!" The hack continued and harshly pushed Ryan towards the closet.  
  
"Hurry up!" He continued when Ryan didn't react fast enough.  
  
Ryan hurriedly opened the closet and got some clothes out. He was going to whisper some cusses under his breath, but decided that this, was *not* a time to protest, or curse at the hack, or indeed do anything that wasn't ordered of him.  
  
He placed the clothes on the table where the basin stood, not near any of the water that had splashed over it. He then removed his pajama-shirt and then *carefully* his pajama-pants.  
  
"What is this?!" The hack said, touching the "Band-Aid" on Ryan's knee in an unkind way.  
  
"AOU, FUCK!!" Ryan yelled when he felt the pain.  
  
The guard looked ready to hit him, unless he explained what this was all about!  
  
"I cut my knee falling when they pushed me in the hole, alright!" Ryan said with bite.  
  
"SO!? Why didn't you tell any of us then?!" the hack shot back at him.  
  
Ryan didn't answer, but started pulling on his jeans instead, it was *really* painful.  
  
"Hey, let me have a look at that." the hack said sternly.  
  
"No."  
  
"I wasn't asking. That's an order, inmate!" The hack said, poison in his voice and eyes.  
  
Ryan had never, NEVER, been called "inmate" to his face! It hurt him *a lot* to realize that that was because people had been nice to him so far. He was in fact an inmate, and would probably remain so for the rest of his life.  
  
That didn't stop him from being very hurt and insulted by what the hack had called him!  
  
When Ryan didn't comply fast enough, Jones pushed him towards the bed, making him fall over it.  
  
"Now take of your trousers and SIT DOWN!" he ordered.  
  
Ryan painstakingly pulled down his trousers and sat down on the bed.  
  
The hack went over by the bed and knelt by it saying: "Don't you try anything," in a warning tone of voice.  
  
He then undid the knot that Ryan had tied in order for the piece of cloth to stay on his wound, and removed the cloth. Ryan grimaced and hissed as he did so. The wound had already bled through the cloth, making it stick.  
  
The hack proceeded to look at the wound, mumbling to himself, when all of a sudden he decided to press on it, seeing that it was quite obviously filled with pus.  
  
"AOU, YOU FUCKING CUNT!!!" Ryan yelled, hurt. At the same time he pulled his knee up against his body in such a way that he managed to kick the hack on the chin and make him fall backwards...  
  
*************************************************************************** 


	4. Another Prison Another Town part 4 Helpl...

Another Prison another town Part 4- Helpless  
  
Fucking hell!!!!! Ryan thought to himself.  
  
This, he had *not* needed.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
There was blood on the man's lip, and he didn't look awake.  
  
Shit! Fuck! I've been here for less than a month and now I'll probably get prosecuted again...  
  
The words rung in his head.  
  
"Assault of an officer of the law"...  
  
Fuck!!! Come on Ryan; think!  
  
He quickly pulled his jeans up, not really caring that it hurt.  
  
"Officer! Guard! Someone! Help!!!" he yelled into the all too solidly closed iron door.  
  
Finally, a guard opened the door and yelled: " What the hell is this all about, O'reily!?!"  
  
Ryan, who had been standing very close to the door, took a step back so that the guard could see Officer Jones lying on the floor.  
  
"My god O'reily! What the hell have you done!?! Guard, medics!!"  
  
Another guard rushed to the door. He too gasped at the sight of the old man lying on the floor, and then he looked at O'reily, hate in his eyes.  
  
"He's breathing," the first guard said.  
  
Ryan drew a sigh of relieve. Even though he hated the guts of the old hack, he most certainly didn't want another murder charge on rapsheet...! Not that it would matter much, he reminded himself. He was in here for life anyway.  
  
"Well, it's most certainly not thanks to you!" the guard shot at him, venomous voice. "Williams, take the inmate to the hole. He'll have to wait there for Mister Mc Manus to get back tomorrow. The warden's away in business for a few days."  
  
Ryan was far too taken by the whole situation too put up a fight, as he was lead to the hole.  
  
"STRIP!" the guard issued.  
  
Ryan looked at him, dumbfounded.  
  
"Is he going to be OK?" he asked sheepishly.  
  
"How would I know?! You should have thought of that before you did whatever it is you did to him!! Now STRIP!" the guard yelled at him.  
  
Ryan did as he was told and the guard opened the door and pushed him trough it, this time Ryan was prepared for the shove and so he didn't fall. ***************************************************************************  
  
"O'reily?" There was a weak voice coming from the hospital bed...  
  
"O´reily!?" He sat up....  
  
"Fuuuck..." ...And lied down again, ready to throw up!  
  
"Oh!" startled sound from the end of the bed. "You're awake sir!" sounding more happy.  
  
The younger officer went around the bed to the older officer's side.  
  
"Where is O'reily? Where am I ?!"  
  
"Don't worry sir. O'reily is safely locked up in the hole. He won't be able to have another go at you any time soon!" the younger guard said, not able to hide the disgust in his voice as he talked about the inmate.  
  
"Oh no..." the older guard said and sighed. " I have to clear this up."  
  
He once again tried to sit up, but as he did he got nauseous again, and unfortunately the younger guard was in the line of fire...  
  
Afterwards Jones said: "Oh god! I'm sorry Williams!"  
  
"That's all right sir," the younger guard said, trying to sound cheery as he wiped himself clean. "I was going to polish these shoes tonight anyway."  
  
"Williams, I have to get up!" the older guard said.  
  
"Sir with all due respect, I think it would be safest if you just rested now. You've got a bad concussion!" Williams said hastily, partly because he really didn't want to be subject to another shower of the older man's breakfast. "We'll take care of things. Johnson's taking your shifts for the week. And Wourdsley has already walked the dog for you. The doctor said that you have to stay here over night, so I took the liberty of taking your house keys and giving them to Wourdsley. She'll walk Maggie tonight and tomorrow morning as well, and hopefully you will be well enough to get home by then. You will probably have to take it easy for the rest of the week tough.  
  
"And O'reily?? " Jones asked, still not completely in control of the situation.  
  
"Well, he'll stay in the hole until Mc Manus comes back tomorrow, or the day after... The warden is still away in business."  
  
"No, you can't..." the older man said. "He didn't do anything..."  
  
"Sir, I'm sorry to sound disrespectful, but you're talking crazy. O'reily is the one that knocked you unconscious, remember?" the younger guard said, wondering if that blow to Officer Jones head had been harder than they thought.  
  
"No, you don't understand... He didn't, or well he did, but..." Jones sighed, not knowing how to explain without starting a long story, which he wouldn't have the energy to finish. "Could you please bring him to me?" He asked of the younger guard.  
  
"Well sir...It's late you see, and I was going to catch a movie with my girlfriend...I was just going to see that you where OK, under the circumstances that is. And well, if I'm to get O'reily, which I'm not sure is such a good idea, if you don't mind me telling you so sir, and then you will want to talk to him, and I'll have to bring him back, and... Well the movie is on at eleven, sir..." the younger guard ranted.  
  
The truth was he really didn't want the older guard to meet O'reily. Not at his present state. He seemed far too confused!  
  
Jones, having got even more dizzy listening to the young man's ramblings, decided that maybe it was best for him to wait to see O'reily until morning.  
  
If only the poor boy wasn't in the hole...  
  
But he knew that it was already after hours, and he didn't want to burden the younger guard more than he already had. And so, he decided that seeing O'reily and getting him out of the hole was going to have to wait until tomorrow. After all it was late, so it wouldn't be that much longer.  
  
"I think maybe you are right, Williams," he said, trying not to think about his betrayal. "But he has got to get some medical attention first thing in the morning! He's got a wound on his knee and it's not looking pretty, so he *really* needs to have that looked on and cleaned out by a doctor! Promise me you'll make sure he gets to see a doctor first thing in the morning Willams! Will you do that for me? It's important to me!"  
  
"Well sir, I'm not sure we should let him out of the hole just yet. It might be good for him to stay there and cool off..."  
  
He was cut off by the older officer.  
  
"...Williams look at me," he said, seeking the younger guard's eyes, making him look into his. "This is important to me, *really important*."  
  
The younger man saw the sincerity in his older colleague's eyes and so gave in. This obviously was very important to him!  
  
"Yes sir, I'll make sure that he's taken to the doctor first thing in the morning."  
  
The older guard thanked him. He then said: "It's all right Williams, I'll be OK now. You can go."  
  
The younger man tried not to look too relieved. It wasn't so much the fact that he didn't care about Jones, because he did; everybody did; but he HATED hospitals.  
  
"Thank you sir. Good night," he said, and left.  
  
"Good night Williams," the older man said.  
  
He spent an uneasy night thinking about poor O'reily being stuck in the hole, but in the end he managed to fall asleep.  
  
*************************************************************************** O'reily's night in turn, was even worse.  
  
The shock and confusion of what had happened had subsided by now.  
  
It's really strange O´reily thought to himself; sitting cooped up in the corner against the cold stonewall, freezing, feeling very much alone. I can kill someone deliberately and not feel a thing, but still this thing has me all dumbfounded. I mean he's a hack, a FUCKING hack!  
  
He realized though, after some thought, that hurting someone unintentionally, physically that was, he was not used to.  
  
The fact that this time the hack, although he is a bastard in general, had seemed to want to help him, made Ryan have even more of a guilty conscience.  
  
He couldn't help but to wonder how the hack was.  
  
Is he even alive?  
  
I hadn't seemed like it when Ryan was towed away... He remembered a similar situation a few years back, when Cyril had got too much of his medication and fell unconscious. Ryan hadn't noticed it if it hadn't been for Adebisi. This was of course nothing similar; the difference between *a hack* and his brother was huge, but still it was the same feeling of panic he had felt, seeing the guard earlier that day...  
  
Ryan had only slept for an hour or two when he heard the door opening.  
  
YES! He thought. Finally, maybe I can get out of here and check how Jones is doing...  
  
"I'm supposed to get you to the doctor an then to Mc Manus's office. Get dressed!" Voice angry, bundle of clothes being thrown harshly at him.  
  
He got up, getting dressed quickly, not for the sake of the angry guard, but simply because he wanted out of there. Even if it did mean going to that fucker Mc Manus´office.  
  
"How is Jones?" he asked.  
  
"That's *Officer* Jones to you! He has a major concussion thanks to you, and won't be back at work until Thursday at the very earliest. Now, come here!"  
  
Ryan did as he was told and the guard let his hand close around Ryan's neck.  
  
They wandered down the corridor.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
As he was steered into sickbay he could not help but feel uncomfortable. All around him were hacks and personnel that quite obviously knew what he had done and, as expected, they were *not* happy. But what no one seemed to know, was that he hadn't done it intentionally...  
  
He was greeted by a doctor with an angered look on his face.  
  
No Gloria here...  
  
The thought of Gloria suddenly sent shivers down his spine, setting him in an even more miserable mood, as he remembered that he would never ever se her again...  
  
"You can sit down over there."  
  
He didn't reply. It was clear that nothing he said could change their perception of him.  
  
He was escorted over to the gurney and sat down.  
  
"I'd watch this one if I were you, he's already hurt one officer, and I have no doubt he'll do it again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I have to go now as I have other things to tend to, I'm afraid," the young officer said.  
  
"Should we restrain him? It's going to be a while before I can have a look at him," the doctor asked and looked Ryan up and down.  
  
"I think that would be a good idea, yes. Especially if it's going to be a while."  
  
"Alright then, have him move over to this gurney," the doctor said.  
  
Never mind the fact that I'm still in the room! Ryan thought, when he heard them talking about him as if he wasn't even there.  
  
Ryan moved to a gurney a few feet away and watched as leather straps where taken out of a cupboard and fastened in buckles on the gurney, two at the bottom and two at the top of the gurney, slightly above where the pillow should have been.  
  
The guard took his cuffs of.  
  
"Alright, lie down."  
  
He did what he was told; head spinning, as he hadn't received any food for more than 24 hours now.  
  
The doctor fastened his feet with the straps, pinning them to the hard gurney.  
  
"Raise you arms up and put them in the straps."  
  
He hesitated. However, when the officer looked as if he was going to do it for him, did as he was told, closing his eyes and concentrating on his breathing in order not to panic, as the doctor thoroughly fastened his arms to the top of the bed, using the straps.  
  
He was completely trapped, and as he wasn't very used to that, it felt like a nightmare.  
  
"I'll be going then," the young hack said to the doctor. The doctor nodded to him in reply.  
  
"I'll be back when I have time for you," the doctor said to Ryan, despise obvious in his voice.  
  
He walked away, leaving Ryan with feet strapped down and hands fastened over his head, at any ones mercy.  
  
Lying there, waiting, Ryan tried to control his panic by looking for a clock somewhere. Somewhere in his field of vision, that was. There was none.  
  
He tried too get some sleep, but he felt far too exposed to relax, and besides, every time he nodded off, one of the nurses seemed to drop something with a bang or do something else to make him wake up.  
  
Many hours later, (or at least it seemed so,) the doctor came back.  
  
"Let's get a look at this then," he said, standing at the end of the bed, where Ryan couldn't see him. He then hitched up the leg of Ryan's trouser in such an unkind way that Ryan, who couldn't see him, and wasn't prepared screamed: "Fuck!"  
  
"Behave yourself!" the doctor yelled harshly. "Hmm, this doesn't look all that good."  
  
He fetched some gauze, a bottle of iodine and a scalpel.  
  
He then cut an incision through the wound in order to get it to open more.  
  
Ryan who hadn't received any kind of anaesthetic couldn't help but to scream. But as he was tied down thoroughly, he couldn't move.  
  
"Why the hell won't you give me some anaesthetic, you bastards!?!"  
  
"If I were you I'd shut up and count my blessings that we agree to treat you after what you did to Officer Jones!" the doctor said with poison, and squeezed the wound like a pimple, making Ryan scream out in pain again, pus oozing out of the wound.  
  
"SHUT UP!" the doctor yelled, "you'll wake our patients!"  
  
Ryan panted, and to his own embarrassment, sobbed; tears in his eyes from the pain.  
  
The doctor applied some iodine to the wound, making it sting and hurt a lot worse than ever before. He then put a Band-Aid on and then left, saying: " I'll have someone come by and get you out of the restraints when I see that you have calmed down and can behave yourself!"  
  
Ryan just sniveled in return, unable to help himself.  
  
About an hour later a guard came by the bed, said: "I'm to take you to Mister Mc Manus now."  
  
He loosened the restraints and put the cuffs on Ryan.  
  
Ryan stood up and felt a sharp pain in his knee, but the guard took a strong hold around his neck and pushed him forward, making him limp towards Mc Manus's office. *************************************************************************** 


	5. Another Prison Another Town parts 510 un...

Part 5

The hack led him to one of the benches outside Mc Manus's office.

"You wanna sit or stand?" He asked.

"Sit," Ryan replied, relieved that they had finally stopped since his leg wouldn't carry him much further without a rest.

" That should be 'I´d like to sit please, sir,' to you. You just don't have any manners at all do you?"

Ryan didn't feel like arguing, so he simply sat down, keeping his mouth shut. The hack fastened the cuffs to the bench.

Then there was the waiting...

Ryan wondered if they did that on purpose, just to make him more nervous about things... He was almost certain they did. This time he was too tired to be nervous though.

He closed his eyes, and leaning towards the back of the bench, slumbered.

All of a sudden he was awakened by someone speaking to him. Thinking it might be one of the hacks, he was a bit startled.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Hey, hey! Sorry if I bothered you... I just haven't seen you before, so I thought I´d say hello, seeing since we are both waiting."

Standing before him was a rather tall slim man with blue eyes and brown- blond long curly hair. By the accent he sounded like he was foreign.

"You English?" Ryan replied.

"Yup. Well from the beginning that is. I moved here 7 years ago, and now, well, I'm kind of stuck." The man said with a sad grin on his face.

"Yeah," Ryan said, in sympathy.

Feeling he ought to add something more to the conversation and feeling a certain trust towards the man, Ryan added" My mum and dad's Irish."

"Nice," the guy replied.

Then they fell into silence again, until the man said: "So why are you here."

Ryan didn't feel like dragging his rapsheet up again and so he remained quiet.

"Not the talkative type, are you? I'm here for grand theft. Stole a painting and some other things. 10-15," the guy volunteered.

Ryan looked up at him.

Yup, seems like the type, one of those intellectual hoity-toity bastards, he though.

Not that he had anything against the guy. He seemed decent.

"So why are you waiting to see Mc Manus?" The guy asked.

Knowing that knocking a cop could make you look tougher that you were, Ryan told the man about knocking out Jones. He left out the bit about it being an accident though.

"Shit!" the man said. "So, normally that would have you sent to isolation for a year or so. Seeing since you at least get the chance to defend yourself I guess you're in the CP-program then, 'alternative punishment' and all that?" the man asked.

"Yeah. Something like that," Ryan said, not really wanting to think about it himself.

"Wow! then you're going to have one hell of a tough time in the torture chamber! At least if I know Mc Manus right."

" Torture chamber? " Ryan asked, worried, not quite being able to sound as sure of him self as he wanted.

"Yeah, well the 'punishment-room' is what the officials call it. Where they deal out most of the corporal punishments..."

"Oh." Ryan definately hadn't expected this and, not having been prepared for anything like this, he didn't know what to say about it.

"So what did you do then?" he asked the man.

" Me? I just had a package sent to me."

The man smiled a crooked smile.

"Yeah, sure."

Ryan smiled.

"So what did it contain then, this package of yours?"

"Oh nothing much...Just about 20 packs of cigarettes, that's all."

Ryan smiled at the man's faked innocence.

_This might be a useful guy to know._

"So basically, my only problem, is that they don't allow smokes here since Mc Manus arrived," the guy said, laughed and shrugged.

"Yeah."

Ryan smiled at him.

"The name is Vance by the way, Jonathan Vance."

The man said and stretched out his hand. Ryan looked over at his own hands cuffed to the bench

"Oh! Sorry," the man said.

"That's all right," O'reily said. "I'm O'reily, Ryan."

An angry looking head stuck out of one of the offices, not Mc Manus's though.

"VANCE, with me, NOW!"

"Got to run," the man said. "Pleased to meet you!" He yelled down the hall while walking nonchalantly towards the office of who ever it was.

"You too!" Ryan yelled back.

A couple of minutes later, Ryan was called in to the office of Mc Manus the Almighty to have his judgement laid upon him.

"So... Here we go again O'reily... You've been out of the hole for less than 24 hours, and you've already managed to knock down an officer... Not a smart move," Mc Manus said.

Ryan said nothing, wanting to know where this was going before he said anything. He would most certainly not confess to being scared of what was going to happen to him, nor did he want to apologize...

The thought of having the crap beaten out of him didn't appeal to him either though...

"Well, since you are now officially part of Jones's program I have three choices. I can either give you an extra year or so on your punishment...In your case I guess that wouldn't matter much though since you're in for life..."

Ryan was actually very relieved that Mc Manus would not do so, he still had some silly hope that one day he might get his parole back.

"...So that leaves me with two choices: I could send you to the hole or isolation for anywhere from two months and up to two years..."

The thought of two years, or even two months in the hole made Ryan quake on the inside, outwardly he tried to show nothing.

"...I'm not sure that would do any kind of good, seeing since you've already spent a lot of time in there, and you don't seem to benefit very much from it..."

How could anyone benefit from being locked up in a cold, dark concrete room with no one around? Ryan wondered.

"...So I'm going to be lenient on you, this time and this time only, partly because I would like to see if officer Jones can put some sense in you one way or the other, with this new program of his."

Ryan held his breath.

" I'm going to let you get away with 7 strokes with one of the so called "boards". Now this is a very mild punishment for such a severe offence, and you should count yourself very lucky! Officer Johnson, whom I think you met the day you got booked, will take you to the punishment room and administer the punishment, I will be there to oversee it."

Fucking hell! So I get to have my ass kicked in front of Mc Manus, and I SHOULD COUNT MYSELF LUCKY ! Ryan thought.

He was still too dazed too take in what would really happen to him.

"Since you have already visited the doctor one time today and he has assured me that you are perfectly fit to stand this kind of punishment, we won't take you there for a check-up as is procedure otherwise, We'll go strait to the punishment room," Mc Manus added.

Ryan was lead out by Officer Johnson, the man who had done the body cavity search and had wanted to scrub him to pieces the day he was booked... Granted he had been scrubbed red by Jones instead, but that didn't make him like Johnson more!

Being led down the hall, he started to envision what was going to happen.

_Surely it can't be that bad, I mean he did say it was a lenient sentence_, Ryan thought. Still there was doubt in his mind...

They walked down the stairs to the basement, where they apparently had the laundry room and such. He was lead down the hall and then stopped in front of a huge iron door, with a sign on it saying: 'punishment-room'. The guard put the key in the door turned it an opened the door. Ryan was roughly pushed in.

The room was whitewashed, big and sterile. It had nothing in it, except for an abundance of contraptions, which looked like they had come strait out of the seventeen- and eighteen-hundreds. Most of them looked like you where supposed to be strapped into them in order for them to restrain you.

There was also a huge locker standing along one wall. Mc Manus walked over to it, got the key out, and opened it. He then started searching for something in it. What Ryan saw when Mc Manus opened it really scared him!

In the locker was an impressing amount of gadgets, most of the neatly hung each in its own spot, or so it seemed.

The thing that had scared Ryan so though, was the fact that most of the "instruments" looked like something used to drive cattle with. And he came to the conclusion that cow skin is much thicker and not half as sensitive as human skin!

He didn't get much more time to think though, since Mc Manus had now found what he was looking for.

"All right, let's get this show on the road then shall we? Have you ever received corporal punishment before O'reily?"

"What the fuck is it to you!" O'reily said, trying hard to steady his voice.

However crazy it might seem, him being catholic and all, his stepmother had made sure that he had gone to a "progressive" school that had abolished corporal punishment before he got there. Maybe she had figured what they got from their father was more than enough.

Mc Manus sighed. "That should still be 'no, sir I haven't or yes' sir, I have' to you. Oh well, I suppose we're taking one step in order to get you to behave yourself, with this."

He then walked over to one of the contraptions, which looked like a long table with leather pads towards one of the end. It was covered at the same end, and had restraints on it, four at the covered end and two at the other end, which was facing the wall.

"Now, I don't know whether it's necessary to restrain you when administering the punishment, but considering what you did to officer Jones, I won't take any chances."

Shit! They're going to strap med down again!

He had expected this to be over with quickly and without too much discomfort. After all, he had knocked around at home quite a bit.

However, Being beaten in front of Mc Manus, being strapped down and not able or allowed to run away or protect himself from the blows was something else. Besides, even though his father's hands had made som real damage in their days, most of the things in that cupboard looked as though they would an equally big damage or even more and the fact that Ryan knew the pain of being beaten didn't mean he felt more resilient against the kinds of tools they seemed to be using in here, or less scared; in fact, it was more the opposite.

Ryan suddenly got more nervous. He wanted to tell Mc Manus that he hadn't knocked Jones out on purpose, but it was to late for that now, as he heard Mc Manus saying "All right then, O'reily, come here."

He did, with a great deal of hesitation.

" Pull down you pants and briefs and place your feet and knees in the restraints please."

Ryan was suddenly reminded of the day he was booked. He was starting to feel a bit shaky, but managed to muster up more confidence, thinking: _it can't be that bad. Besides, it's just seven blows._

He once again complied to Mc Manus's orders, and so, his legs were strapped tightly against the table. The guard pulled his shirt up on his back and added a stiff aluminum belt over his kidneys.

"All right, now your arms... Bend forward, over the bench, put out your arms and put them in the restraints."

Ryan was thinking that he should be used to this now, being strapped down. But it was still horribly unnerving to him.

_Oh fuck! Oh god! Breath O'reily, breath! Just stay calm. It'll be over in a heartbeat, don't worry... FUCK I don't want to do this!_

"Come on O'reily... We don't have all morning."

After taking a few deep breaths and sighing equally as deeply, O'reily stretched forward, resting his upper body on the top of the table, stretched his hands forward and put his wrists in the restraints, barely being able to stop himself from pulling them back again!

Johnson put an extra restraining belt over the upper part of his back tying it to the bench, and fastened his wrists, very tightly. There he was again, at their mercy. The thought was even scarier than it had been in the infirmary.

McManus brought forward the thing he had been extracting from the locker. It was a 20 inches long (not counting the handle,) 6 inches wide and half inch thick board, which looked a bit like a cricket-bat or a plank with a handle, only it had it had 8 half inch wide holes drilled at each side and in the middle of it.

Ryan knew it would hurt, but he tried to convince himself it couldn't be all that bad. Still, he wasn't looking forward to it...

Mc Manus gave the board to Johnson and stood at the top end of the table, where O'reily's head was, but a few feet away. Johnson positioned himself about two feet behind O'reily and O'reily saw him lift them board halfway to his shoulder.

" OK O'reily, look strait ahead on the wall. At no point are you to look back at Johnson. Since this is your first time, I'll allow some sound from you, but don't scream, or you'll get extra blows. Understood?"

O'reily couldn't talk; he didn't trust his voice to be steady. He just swallowed down hard and nodded. He faced the whitewashed wall, and took a deep breath.

Mc Manus then said: "When you're ready," to Johnson.

_Never mind when I´m ready!_ O'reily though.

He didn't have time to think anything else.

Just when he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he felt the gust of wind. He felt the board smacking into his hind, and then... nothing... until a few seconds later, and OH GOD did it hurt!

He managed not to scream though.

Just when he was getting to be a bit proud that he hadn't, he felt the second gust, and then this time he FELT the blow, right below the first one.

"AOU! YOU FUCKING CUNT BASTARDS!" he screamed on top of his lungs.

" O'reily, what did I tell you about screaming?" Mc Manus asked

O'reily couldn't have answered if he had wanted. He was too busy fighting of the pain and trying to stop panting.

Oh Fuck! Not more, not more you fucking cocksucker! He though to himself.

"All right. I'll be nice to you this time, since it's you first, but this is your final warning, no more screaming! I'm not asking you to be absolutely quiet, but no more screaming."

He then turned to Johnson. "You can continue when you feel like it, Johnson."

"Yes sir," the hack replied.

Ryan saw, in the corner of his eye, the board being lifted, and braced himself.

The third blow landed between the other two, overlapping them both.

"OUHG!"

He managed to keep his mouth closed while reacting to the awful pain, the worst so far. And there where more to come...

_They're not even fucking halfway through!_

That was all he had time to think before the next one, equally as painful.

_How many are they up to? How many left? I can't take much more of thi... OH FUUCK!  
_  
"OUGH!"

The next one landed, and before he had time to catch his breath, another.

_That must have been the last!_

It wasn't...

_OH BLOODY FUCKING CHRIST!_

That had been the worst one.

_Make them stop!_

As an answer to his somewhat unusual prayer, Ryan saw the guard lowering his arm.

" How was it O'reily?" Mc Manus said, voice taunting.

Ryan hoped Mc Manus wasn't set on getting an answer this time either, because he couldn't give one. He was too much caught up in the pain and humiliation and trying to get his breathing back to normal.

"All right, you can turn him loose now, but fetch one of the other guards before, he's probably going to need one on each side to steady him."

"I'll go now, O´reily, but I seriously recommend you thinking this, and your current situation over tonight!"

Ryan bit his lip.

Mc Manus then left.

A couple of seconds later, so did the hack, presumably to fetch another, or so Ryan hoped.

_He wouldn't just leave me here, would he!_

After being left alone restrained in the infirmary this morning, Ryan wasn't sure. Luckily, Johnson came back a minutes later with another hack in tow.

"All right O'reily, I'm going to let you loose now, but we don't want any trouble or there will be more of where this came from!" Johnson said, briefly lifting the board from the wall, which it was tilted towards.

_I won't fucking breath until you tell me, you bastard!_ Ryan thought, angry.

Johnson loosened his feet and knees from the shackles. He removed the strap that had held his upper back, the metal belt around his kidneys, and then finally the restraints around his wrists. Ryan quickly tried to straighten up, only to find out just how awfully painful it was. He had to stop halfway.

"Come on, O'reily, we don't have all day!"

He made another effort and with a big groan managed to straighten up into standing position again, holding on to the table. When he tried to let go however, his knees wouldn't carry him, partly because of the pain, and partly because the exhaustion, and from still not having eaten anything at all.

The hacks helped him turn around and lean, painfully, with his ass against the table.

"You want us to help you get your pants up!" Johnson asked harshly.

"I'll manage, thank you!" Ryan replied cockily.

He barely did.

"All right, can you stand on your own now?"

"Of course I can!"

The let him go, and he nearly fell to the floor.

"Apparently not. Williams, please steady the prisoner by his arm as I put the cuffs on."

Williams took a steady supportive hold under Ryan's arm, something Ryan was actually quite grateful for.

"O'reily, arms out!"

O'reily slowly put his arms out, hoping the grip Williams had on him could help him stand. Luckily it could, and O'reily was cuffed.

"We'll leave the shackles out this time," Johnson stated, sounding like he was being really nice.

"OK, off we go then," he said, took hold of Ryan's other arm, and helped him to move forward.

It was an excruciatingly long and painful walk before they reached the hole.

"Officer Williams will help you stand while you take of your clothes." Johnson said

Ryan managed to get his shirt of, and the hacks helped him with the socks, as he had trouble bending down. Then there were the trousers and the briefs... It took quite a while, but in the end he managed to get them of by himself.

" You want to sit, stand, or lay down?"

"Lay down," Ryan groaned.

"Though so," the hack said.

They helped him to lie down, on his stomach.

" Now do as MC Manus told you to and start thinking about the situation you're in!"

They then walked out and slammed the door.

And so Ryan was alone, with only his pain as company.

A few hours later lunch came, just the usual though, and as he wasn't hungry, (nor could he sit up comfortably to eat,) he sent them away.

_Fuck! I hate this shit!_ He thought.

Eventually he managed to fall asleep though, hind aching and all.

Jones woke up at 12 o'clock.

_Oh dear! I must have slept hard! What time is it?_

He looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

_OH GOD! Twelve O'clock! Poor O'reily! I have to get Mc Manus to get him out!  
_  
He got up, head spinning, and got dressed.

"Officer Jones, you're up!" the doctor said, surprised.

"Yes," Jones said, still a bit confused.

"Well, it's nice to see that you are feeling better, but I think you had better rest a bit longer before getting up, that is a serious concussion you have."

"Yes, well, I really need to go see Mc Manus," Jones said, urgently. "Can I go, do you think?"

"Well, if it's that important to you I suppose you could. But if you start feeling sick or dizzy I want you to come strait to the infirmary and contact me! And after you've done whatever is it you need to do, go home, and stay home for at least two days, I don't want to see you here until Friday at the earliest, understood?" the doctor said smiling.

"Yes, sir!" Jones said and smiled himself.

Jones started heading out of the ward, but then turned and said, "Oh! By the way doctor, was Ryan O'reily in here this morning?"

The doctor frowned and said: "Yes, he was. I treated him for some wound on his knee...Damn ungrateful bastard!"

"How is his knee?" Jones said, wondering why the doctor was so mad at O'reily.

"Well, it's infected, but I think he might be able to do without antibiotics. Tell me Jones, why this interest for the man that knocked you down in cold blood, nearly killing you?"

" Oh no! He didn't! You see doctor..." The guard started, telling the doctor about the accident.

"Oh dear!" The doctor said when Jones had finished his story. "Oh dear, oh dear! Jones, I think that something quite bad has happened..."

"What?" Jones asked, a bit startled by the look on the doctor's face.

"Well, you see... After he had been to me, he got towed off by one of the guards to Mc Manus's office, and well, a few minutes later Mc Manus called me here in the clinic, asking if O'reily was fit to receive a corporal punishment..."

"Oh god!" Jones said. " I really must fix this! Thank you doctor," he said, rushing of as fast as he could towards Mc Manus's office.

When he got out of Mc Manus's office, he had to calm down a bit...

_Darn stupid concussion getting in the way of everything!_

He couldn't blame Mc Manus though. He would probably have done the same. Now he had to concentrate on getting O'reily out of the hole though... Even if the unit manager had had actually suggested that they leave him in there, since he had been so cocky lately. It didn't seem fair though Jones thought. Besides, he wanted to get to work on the program with the young man.

He walked down the hall towards the hole... Not quite knowing what to expect...It was now thee o'clock and O'reily was probably furious, with some right of course, but still he didn't want the boy to get any ideas!

" So, you ready to come out yet, O'reily?" sounding correct.

"Oh."

O'reily hadn't notice the door opening, he had enjoyed his well-deserved sleep too much, when he had finally found it that was...

Waking up to a night of pain didn't seem like something he'd want to do.

"What?" He said, sounding like he didn't really care what the guard had to say.

"Are you ready to come out now?"

" Yes."

Uttered cockily, mask back on again...

_There is no need for him to know you where worried about him..._

"Good, put these clothes on then," the guard said, throwing him a bundle.

_Keep it stern Thomas. Don't let him get any ideas about you caring about him..._

Ryan put on his shirt, his socks and then, painstakingly, his briefs and pants, while doing his very best not to scream out in pain.

"Don't forget to tuck you shirt in and button the last three buttons!" the guard reminded him.

I should have known by now, that he would fucking say that... O'reily thought. Then again I've spent most my time in this fucking place without clothes!

"Now this time, I suggest you try behaving yourself for a change!" the hack nagged O'reily as they walked pack to the cell, O'reily limping, walking carefully and twisting his face with every move, the guard afterwards to push him forward.

O'reily didn't answer, thinking: here we go again...


End file.
